


Better Watch your Back [Byakuya x Reader

by sollavellanhell



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28781196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sollavellanhell/pseuds/sollavellanhell
Summary: [Follow me on Wattpad @sollavellanhell!]As the Ultimate Artist, and cousin to Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, you weren't surprised when your acceptance letter to Hope's Peak Academy came in the mail.But what'd happened when you walked through those doors would stick to your mind for rest of your life...A killing game.Live here forever, or kill one of your classmates without getting caught, and be set free...You were a loner. Tough. You'd do anything it takes to survive, But this time, you knew it wouldn't be easy. And honestly? You'd start to enjoy hanging around your classmates. You were conflicted. Deciding to... Wait it out. Play it safe, see how things develop... Before making your move.You'd have to do it eventually, right?But still, there were always the same thoughts floating in the inner corners of your mind, despite your indifferent facade."Would I really make it out of here alive?""If so, at what cost?""How far is too far?""Do I have what it takes to kill my friends?""Should I kill my friends?""Would losing everyone... Losing him, be worth it?"
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Togami Byakuya/Reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36





	1. An "Average" Morning

The loud, obnoxious ringing of an alarm clock filled a small, cluttered room, eliciting a soft groan from a previously sleeping girl, sprawled underneath a large pile of thick blankets. (Thats you!) You slowly opened your e/c eyes, your back aching as you slowly sat up, suddenly feeling grateful that today would be the last day you'd be sleeping on a futon for, at the very least, the next 9 weeks.

Today was the Ultimate Artist's first day at Hope's Peak, and though you'd seen this day coming for the last 2 years of your life, you couldn't ignore the anxiety that'd been slowly building up within your stomach ever since you'd opened that acceptance letter. Honestly, you weren't even sure what you were so scared of! Your cousin, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu had been attending the school for a year, and from what he'd told you, this should be a challenging, but fun, just like any other high school experience!

with a few key differences here and there, of course.

Uniform dress codes weren't as strict as regular Japanese high schools, the students there could be a little.. Eccentric, but you got a lot of freedom to develop your own skills and challenge yourself! Living in a dorm would take a few weeks to get used to, seeing as you normally spent your time travelling across continents, doing commissioned pieces for the rich and famous, attending "prestigious" art shows... Honestly, attending a semi-regular school for a change almost sounded like a vacation!

You hadn't bothered to do any real research on your own, figuring that Fuyuhiko would always be around to show you the ropes, and, seeing as you weren't planning on getting particularly close to your classmates, you'd just... Meet them whenever you ended up meeting them. You.. Kinda hope they had the same idea as you, too. You weren't a criminal, but your background made it harder to interact with people than it already was, despite your clan's attempt to keep it a secret. You couldn't help but worry about someone finding out, causing problems...

As you finally sat up, you felt your anxiety slowly melt into excitement, placing a hand on your cream colored wall as you began to stand up, looking over your cluttered, Japanese-style room, blankets sliding off of your toned body. You'd only been living with the Kuzuryu clan again for about a month, but you'd already managed to trash your old room, leaving tools, blank and filled canvases, paint... You name it, scattered throughout the small room. Ever since you'd received your acceptance letter, the family was more than happy to lend you a place to stay in Japan, at least until the school year started. It was good to catch up with everyone, reconnect with Fuyuhiko, even though you'd eventually part ways sooner rather than later.

Oh, yeah. You were a, albeit not very active, member of a Yakuza gang.

Organized crime wasn't your go-to career choice, of course.. Although Fuyuhiko, the current leader of the clan, was your close friend and cousin, you'd been a member of the clan since birth. To put it simply, your grandfather had been very diligent in serving the Kuzuryu family, and had gained a powerful and respected position in the clan. That being so, his son and eventual wife were born into the crime family, and, eventually, his son's daughter was too. They reaped the benefits that came with being associated with such a powerful presence, without having to get their hands dirty.

That didn't stop your father from becoming a crimelord, though.

It didn't bother you. you'd grown up around crime, got used to murder, drugs, gambling... Though you'd never get into the "family business" yourself. You'd been trained in self-defense, and Fuyuhiko insisted on sending guards along during your travels since your work had gotten you semi-famous, but that was the extent of your affiliation with the "crime" portion of your crime family. They were happy to support you, and you were happy to support them, donating a portion of the money you earned from your skills regularly.

But you had all day, all year, even, to reflect on your upbringing.

You stretched, smashing a finger down on your infuriating alarm clock, letting out a relieved sigh as the room was filled with silence. Right now, you wore nothing but a large tank top and a pair of biker shorts, stretching as you finally placed your bare feet on the your cold, hardwood floor, a shiver ascending up your spine.

Taking a final glance at your despicable alarm clock, you'd see that it was... 6:40 pm. Leaving you about a hour to get ready to make a good first impression.

You made your way over to your closet, yawning as you pulled out the "uniform" you and (begrudgingly) Fuyuhiko had bought a few weeks prior. You'd dragged him along simply because he was already familiar with the school, and you wanted to make a good impression, but... You kind of regretted it, now. It was a cute outfit, don't get me wrong, but your cousin's influence was obvious.

You slipped off your pajamas and slid on some fresh undergarments before glancing in a mirror, looking at the simple roses you had tattooed on your right shoulder. It wasn't mandatory for the family, nor very big, but you already felt... Disconnected from so many of your relatives, you'd talked your uncle into giving you a Yakuza-style tattoo once you'd turned 15.

Giving yourself a small, almost encouraging smile, you slid on a plain white dress shirt, and a black, "schoolgirl-ish" skirt that hung below your mid-thigh. You slid on a black blazer with thin white stripes, very similar to Fuyuhiko's own jacket, and a f/c tie, Hope's Peak's emblem sown near the bottom. You slid on a pair of white socks that reached your thighs, and buckled on a pair of black dress shoes, adorned with roses that matched your hidden tattoo, and a simple gold clip. Buckling on a simple black and gold belt, you turned your attention back towards the mirror, brushing your hair behind your ears. Taking a deep breath, you grabbed your hairbrush off of a nearby dresser, and brushed out your painful tangles, making sure to avoid the various gold earrings you'd had pierced over the years. You tied it into a quick half-up half-down look, and quickly looked yourself over.

Afterwards, you make your way into your own personal bathroom, applying a small amount of brown eyeshadow, mascara, some eyeliner, and some subtle red lipstick.

You kept your look rather simple. You were no Junko Enoshima, after all. You liked to look nice, put together, with some personal touches here and there, but there was a lot more to life than the clothes you wore, or how you looked. You just found that people tend to take you a bit more seriously this way. Plus, you looked good in short skirts, and, although you wouldn't admit it, you did take some pride in your appearance. It made you feel... Confident.

Now that the long, boring part of your morning was over, you'd grab your phone and bag, finally, finally! Begin heading out into a small hallway, the smell of... Bacon? filling your senses.

Noting the grumbling of your stomach, you'd head down the loud hallway, the mixed sounds of snoring and casual conversation coming from several of the other bedrooms you passed. No matter what time of the day it was, or how long you'd been gone, it seemed like someone in your ridiculously large family was always busy.

You knew not to butt into anyone's personal business though, and made your way through the large, vaguely familiar house, (Mansion might be a better word for it. It wasn't super fancy, but it was really fucking big.) until you'd reach a large kitchen, a women with graying black hair, arms completely covered in tattoos, slaving away at a stove.

"Oh, Y/n! I was waiting for you to get up! I made you breakfast for your first day!" The women turned, seemingly sensing your presence.

You gave her a small smile, never one for energetic introductions or forced conversation. You appreciated the gesture, but you weren't a little kid anymore..

"Thank you, Jabami-san. That's really kind of you," You said, giving the middle-aged women a polite bow as you sat down, Jabami snickering as she sat a fully loaded plate infront of you, filled to the brim with bacon, eggs, toast, and waffles. 

"I know you were touring in America for a really long time, and one of Hiko's guards told me you seemed to really like hotel breakfast, so I thought I-"

You laughed as she seemed to try to explain yourself.

"It looks perfect, you didn't have to do this all for me," You said with a small smile, digging into your bacon. She seemed surprised at the reaction, but figured that your travels had taught you to appreciate your family more, learn how to let your guard down... Some lesson like that. Last time you two'd met, she was getting worried you'd turn out like Fuyuhiko. She loved the kid to death, but he was cold, with a nasty temper...

Either way, she saw all the kids as her own, and you weren't an exception. She smiled brightly as she sat down in front of you, eating from a plate of your own. You weren't sure if you two were actually related at all, but she basically raised you, like many of the... Kinder members of the clan. She'd been Auntie Jam for as long as you could remember, though you'd never use the embarrassing name you'd made up for her ever again. 

You were definitely a cold person, but, what could you say? You did care about your family, and you were a sucker for breakfast food... Or maybe you just stayed up too late last night.

[Time Skip]

You spent the next 20 minutes catching up with your "aunt," before looking down at your gold watch, also painted with small roses, done by yourself on a particularly boring flight.

7:25.

Standing up, Jabami rushed over to give you a tight hug, almost crushing your ribs. "I know that look! You have a great time, Y/n! I'll miss you!"

She kissed you on the forehead, causing you to blush as you mumbled a quick "you too.." before quickly making your way outside, swinging your bag over your shoulder as you walked through a well-kept garden, making sure to keep to the stone path leading to the road. You'd just bought these shoes, after all...

You approached a black jeep where 2 well-dressed men seemingly waited for you, giving you a nod as you climbed into the back seat, setting your bag to the side as you crossed your legs, glancing out the window as they silently began driving you to Hope's Peak. You watched your childhood home fade from view with mixed emotions. You hadn't been back home in so long, and here you were... Already leaving again. At least you'd be in the same country this time, and you could visit over break.

As unfortunate as it was, you couldn't just... Not go to school. No matter how "special" you were. If people like Byakuya Togami and your cousin could be forced to go to high school, you didn't stand a chance.

At least it was Hope's Peak. That's as good as it gets, right!? Maybe you'd run into Fuyuhiko every once in a while...

[Time Skip]

You'd spent the next 20 minutes staring out the window, zoning out, contemplating your future at Hope's Peak, within your family... You didn't plan on making friends, but..

Hm.

School never really seemed "real." until now. Nobody bothered you or your family if you and Hiko just didn't attend, but things were different this time. That being so, you didn't really have any experience with kids your age, besides the ones in the family. You honestly didn't know what to expect, and that both scared the shit out of you, and pissed you off.

You'd never admit it, though. You knew how to fake it and keep up appearances..

You'd glance at your watch as you noticed the large school building looming in the distance...

7:47am

Orientation began at 8.

Before you knew it, you were being helped out of the jeep by one of your drivers, slinging your bag over your shoulder as you gave the muscular man a quick "Thank you." The man nodded, and, after he reentered the expensive car, he drove away, leaving you on your own in front of the massive school building. Your sharp eyes examined the area, making eye contact with a short, brown haired boy frozen in place, who, frankly, looked fucking terrified. You didn't mean to intimidate anyone with your "entrance," but.. You didn't mind it either.

His reaction just told you that he wasn't worth your time. For an ultimate, he seemed pathetic.

Looking forward, you began approaching the building, the boy behind you still frozen in his tracks. Figuring he'd snap out of it eventually, you ignored him, pushing a large door open and entering the building, only taking a few steps forward when your vision became hazy...

You felt yourself become lightheaded, and, before you knew it, you fell to the ground, your vision fading completely to black...

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2099 words

Sorry this first chapter is so uneventful!! I wanted to establish a good background for your character, though you'll definitely learn more about your backstory and how you came to be an "ultimate" in flashbacks!!

Also, I'm sorry if there's already a canon ultimate artist!!! I've only played the first 2 games!!

I'll probably have the next chapter uploaded either later tonight or tomorrow, and I promise things'll pick up, and you'll have a few interactions with Byakuya ;)

Let me know what you'd wanna see in the future, and what you think so far in the comments!!!


	2. An Expected Acceptance... But an Unexpected Occurrence!

At first, you couldn't remember what had happened.

One moment, you were walking into Hope's Peak, the next you were...

You were...

Where am I..?

You let out an audible groan, your head pounding with what felt like a migraine, your forehead pressed against what felt like a wooden table.

Did I get abducted..?

Rubbing your temples, you slowly opened your eyes, surprised your arms weren't restrained. Your immediate guess what that you'd been drugged, kidnapped by a rival clan, intended to be held for ransom. 

But if that was the case... Why weren't you tied up?

What the fuck...

Did I... Doze off...?

You examined your surroundings, your eyes widening as you realized you were in a... Classroom? Except... Something was off... Everything felt really, really wrong, or maybe you were just waking up... Your body felt like it was full of led, your mind was spinning, bouncing from one thought to the next...

Slowly, you began to stand up, gripping the edges of the table, which you now realized was a desk, with both hands, knocking a piece of paper onto the floor. You scanned the classroom, noting a... Security camera..? And the windows... They weren't just boarded up, they were covered by metal plates screwed into the wall.

Maybe I did get kidnapped...

You took a deep breath, popping your back, several of your joints cracking loudly. Looking towards the paper you'd knocked down earlier, you bent down, clutching the desk for support as you picked it up, squinting as you tried to decipher a handwritten note on a shitty pamphlet

"Starting today, this school will be your entire world."

"What the fuck...?!" You repeated, this time out-loud, your mind spinning as you tried to graph the meaning behind, the reason for those words, for all... This.

This has got to be some sort of sick joke.

Your eyes scanned the classroom one more time, but, other than the camera and windows, everything seemed... Normal. You glanced at a clock, reading the time.

7:57

It's only been, what... 10 minutes..? And here you are, y/n, already freaking out..

This was all really, really strange, but it looked like you were in fact still in Hope's Peak Academy, and you still had orientation. Maybe this is a science classroom..? This was a really advanced school, maybe they just boarded up the windows to... In case an experiment went south?

You still had no idea how you'd passed out, but, you figured you could just ask someone at orientation what happened. It was probably just... Maybe it was just... Stress?

Yeah. Everything's fine. Maybe my bacon was just raw and I got sick... No need to freak out, sheesh.

Taking another deep breath, you closed your eyes, steadying your nerves. You were strong. One weird morning wasn't enough to freak you out! With a renewed confidence in your step, you shook your head, opening the door as you felt your mind clearing up. The hallway was shadowed in purple light, but, other than that, everything seemed fine.

Well.. This is a special school. You'd expect things to be... Different 

You kept making up explanations in your head, convincing yourself that you had nothing to worry about as you walked down the empty hallway, almost zoning out as you searched for some sort of main hall, purple lighting transitioning to green when you suddenly bumped into a familiar stranger..

"Ow!" The brown haired boy yelped, stepping back as he looked up at you, startled

"Why don't you-" You began to snap, stopping when you realized that you'd walked into him. "Shit. My bad.." You said, looking down at the shorter boy

He almost seemed frozen in place, looking up at you with grey-green eyes. "I-It's fine.. Hey, did you just..?"

"Wake up? Yeah. You pass out too?" You asked gruffly, crossing your arms as you looked around the oddly lit hallway. "Something about this isn't right..."

The boy nodded in agreement. "Well.. If we're both here, that must mean that our classmates are in the building too, right? At the entrance hall, maybe?"

You shrugged. "Maybe. That'd make sense, explain why the hallways are empty.."

The stranger began walking down the hallway without another word, and, begrudgingly, you followed, eyes scanning each door you two walked by.

"By the way, I'm Makoto. Makoto Naegi." He said, trying his best to sound friendly, though he was clearly just as shaken up as you were, maybe even more..

"Y/n L/n." You replied, sizing up the short boy. You'd never heard of him. He didn't seem particularly strong, or smart, he seemed... Completely, utterly average. First impressions could always be wrong though. I mean... You probably didn't seem like your average artist, either..

"Your the... Ultimate Artist, right? I saw some of your work online.. Your talented!" He complimented, glancing back at you with a small smile, his shoulders shaking.

"You don't have to talk to me just to fill the silence, Let's just find everyone else." You replied, your expression and voice cold as ice as you followed Makoto through the hallway, though he seemed... Crestfallen, giving you a small nod. Your heart was beating a bit quicker, though. Judging from his expression, that was the only thing he knew about you, but... The less you spoke about your background, the better.

You didn't think he'd be a good ally, but... You felt bad for hurting his feelings. It was safer for you this way, but... Makoto seemed nice. it was sad.

You two walked in silence until you saw two large doors with a green exit sign hanging above it.

"Out of all the doors we walked by, this one looks the most likely to be the main hall.." Makoto said quietly, glancing at you.

"Yeah. Thanks." You said, pushing the doors open as you and Makoto both inside, only to be greeted by a room filled with what you assumed to be your other classmates, all wearing some sort of eccentric outfit. 

"Woah! More new kids!?" Someone called out, everyone's attention shifting to you and Makoto.

"These must be our classmates..." You noted, Makoto closing his mouth, trying to hide his shocked expression as he looked at you, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, we're all new here... Today's supposed to be our first day of class..." Another unfamiliar voice responded.

"So, counting them... That makes 16. Seems like a good cut-off point, but I wonder if this is everyone..." Another stranger said, your eyes following the current speaker.

You hummed quietly, approaching the group, Makoto meekishly following behind. This looked like everyone... Your future classmates, all seeming to be stuck in the exact same situation as you...

"Um... How's it going? My name's Makoto Naegi. This is Y/n. Sorry we're late. A bunch of stuff happened , and then all of a sudden we were.... Asleep."

You watched him silently, nodding in agreement, deciding to let him do most of the talking.

"Woah, you guys too..?" An older looking boy with ridiculous, large brown hair said, shock covering his features

"Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser.." A girl pondered, her skin pure white, her black hair tied up into two ponytails that, frankly, resembled tornados.

At this point, it was getting hard to keep track of each individual speaking.

"So strange... I declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed!"

You let out a small snort, a tall, larger boy with glasses, the last person to speak, shooting you a glare. You couldn't take him seriously.

"Your laughing..?" He asked, as you suppressed a smirk.

"It's nothing. We've got more important shit to deal with."

He, as well as a black haired boy in white seemed surprised by your language, but they also seemed to agree, saying nothing in response.

"Um... What are you talking about? I honestly have no idea what's going on right now." Makoto piped up, his eyes jumping from Ultimate to Ultimate.

"Just a moment! There's something else we must address!" The black haired boy said intensely, his red eyes intense as he looked at you and Makoto.

He must be fun at parties...

He suddenly pointed at you and Makoto, his expression growing more and more intense, "Maktoto! Y/n! Your tardiness is unacceptable! Surely you were aware that the meeting was supposed to start at 8am, sharp?!"

Seriously..?

"To be late on your first day is unspeakable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!"

You raised an eyebrow. "So... We all simultaneously black out, wake up in this... Freak school. No teachers, no headmaster in sight... And your worried about tardiness?" A wicked smirk played at the corner of your lip as you crossed your arms. "How do yo-"

You were cut off by a tall girl with wild, blonde pigtails and clear blue eyes. You actually knew her, too. Junko... Heromada..? Endo...Mada? Something.. Shina? Something like that. Her name was Junko.

"What's your problem? It's not like they wanted to be late. They couldn't just like... Control what time they wake up."

"Everyone just calm down! Listen, why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves?" A tan girl in a red tracksuit suggested, wanting to establish some peace and order in the group.

"The hell? Now's no time for friggin' introductions!" An intense boy with a brown pompadour snapped, clenching his fist. You knew this dude too. Mondo, something. He runs biker gangs.

"Maybe, but it may be good to at least find out who we all are before digging into the deeper problems here," The goth girl said, keeping an eerily calm demeanor. "I mean, how are we even supposed to talk to eachother without knowing eachother's names?"

"I agree. Standing around, arguing with strangers isn't going to get us anywhere," You said, ignoring the glare Mondo shot your way.

"That's a good point..." A short, timid girl almost whispered, nervous sweat forming on her forehead

Finally, this bickering back and forth seemed to be coming to an end... You were getting tired of all this dialogue.

"Okay, so let's get introductions out of the way, then we can move on to whatever else. Sound good?" A blue haired girl you were almost certain you'd seen on TV before calmly said.

You nodded. "No complaints here."

[Time skip because you've all played the game or at least seen the show, you know who everyone is lmao]

After what felt like forever, everyone had gone around and introduced themselves, while Makoto quietly informed you of their ultimate abilities. You were... Kind of an asshole to him earlier, but he was still helping you out..

A couple interactions stuck out to you as you kind of... Zoned in and out.

"...The words of such idiots means nothing to me. I am like Van Gogh, utterly unappreciated in my time." The boy who you now knew to be Hifumi, pouted.

"You're... Nothing like Van Gogh." You said, holding back a snicker, trying to keep up your cool demeanor but... Shit. Some of these guys were actually funny, and they didn't even know it.

"WHAT? And how would you know!?" Hifumi shot back as the goth girl, known as Celeste, quietly chuckled in the background

"I'm Y/n L/n. You know... The Ultimate Artist." You said, letting a small smirk slip into your expression

"SHEESH! Everyone's a... Wait... Did you say artist..?" Hifumi said, his breathing growing... Heavy. It... Kinda freaked you out.

You... Reluctantly nodded.

"Then.. Are you... Familiar with... 2D? Drawing... 2D women, to be more exact?"

You were... Speechless.

"Ye- No. NO. NO! No way! Thats disgusting! Your so gross! Perv!" You snapped, taking a step back as he leaned in closer, your monotone expression obliterated, replaced by one full of disgust and anger. Makoto and Celeste were desperately holding back giggles, some of the others starting to notice the interaction.

He frowned. "A shame, really.. If we were to partner up, collaborate, I'm sure we could-"

"Take a fucking hint!"

And... After that mortifying interaction, introductions were finished.

"Okay... Time to get down to business." Byakuya started, addressing the group with his usual 'air of superiority.' "This is no time to stand around making friends like a bunch of dull eyed baboons."

Well... That much we can agree on..

"Makoto.. You said that a bunch of stuff happened and then you were... Just asleep, right?" Sayaka asked, turning towards your... Acquaintance

Makoto nodded.

"Well... The same's true for all of us.." 

"Seriously!?"

You suspected as much.

Everyone soon started stating their own experience with walking into the school. Everyone taking a foot inside, falling asleep, waking up in a random classroom...

Classrooms with steel plated windows, security cameras...

And... Fuck! You didn't even notice!

"Plus, all my stuff's missing! Even my cellphone.." Junko whined

Your eyes went wide as you suddenly looked down, patting yourself down, looking for your bag, your phone... "Shit! So's mine."

Several more people spoke up about missing items, then...

"Then there's the main hall.." Taka said, glancing towards what... Used to be the doors. He seemed much more subdued, nervous, even...

"The front exit is blocked by some giant metal hatch, but there wasn't anything like that when I first got here!"

People began spewing ideas, talking about crime and... Kidnapping. You tried to shrug off the thought.

"You think someone grabbed us and hauled us off and we're not actually at school!?" Leon asked, sweating

"That's... Impossible." You said, though you'd had the exact same theory earlier...

"C'mon, don't think like that! I bet this is just all part of the school's orientation procedure!" Yasuhiro, the crazy haired guy, offered, real optimism in his voice.

You hummed quietly as the others slowly began to agree with him, letting their guards down, becoming less tense... But you didn't buy it. Something was definitely wrong. You looked across the room, only to make eye contact with Byakuya Togami, who wore a similar skeptical expression.

Togami... Maybe Makoto was right... He seemed... Different.

Before you could say or do anything, however, a strange chime filled the room, and a monitor in the room was filled with static, revealing...

*Ding dong bing bong*

"Ahem! Ahem! Testing, Testing! Mike check, one two! This is a test of the school broadcast system!"

A voice you could only describe as "irritating" suddenly began speaking through, at least you assumed it spoke through, the monitor, and the speakers throughout the school, capturing everyone's attention.

You and Byakuya shared one more cautionary gaze, before turning your attention towards the small yellow monitor on the wall.

Your both just tall and overly paranoid.

"Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then...!"

No... Irritating wasn't a good word for it. It was... Spine-chilling. It filled you with dread. It only reinforced your suspicions. Still... There was always the possibility that you might just be paranoid.

You really hoped you were just paranoid.

"Ahh, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at... Right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. That's all. I'll be waiting!" 

Junko had a... Completely understandable reaction, actually.

"What. The. Hell. Was that just now?"

Byakuya had already began making his way out towards the hallway.

"Well then, if you'll excuse me.."

Junko got pissed. "H-hey! What, you're just gonna take off like that!?"

He ignored her. You weren't surprised.

"Ohh yeah, now I get it! This whole thing was just to get us all pumped for the entrance ceremony!" Yasuhiro claimed, still completely unbothered.

"Man, thank God it was all just a joke! I'd be totally freaked if it was real!"

"Hey, Yasuhiro.." You started, but the 20 year old was totally in his own world. You wanted to warn him before he actually did freak out, but... Well..

"Alright, guess I'll head out too. Wonder what they got planned for us next.."

And with that, he left, and you reluctantly followed suit, until, eventually you all had left the entrance hall, and met up in the small trophy room that separated the gymnasium from the rest of the school.

You overheard a conversation while you waited for everyone to arrive.

"Man... I never knew this Hope's Peak place was gonna be such a pain in my balls! It really ain't that much different than the time I spent in juvy... Hell, it's even worse!" You heard Mondo complain, pissed off, per usual. You barely knew the guy, and you already knew he had major anger issues...

"And why isn't there anyone else here? I didn't see anyone else here.." Sayaka commented

"Isn't that seriously, like, not good!?" Junko panicked.

You felt yourself get a little nauseous, drowning out the rest of their conversation

Could they have... Fuyuhiko...?

No, He's fine. This is all just an elaborate test... He's tough, if they... He would...

You went pale for a moment, your fingers shaking as you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath as you banished such thoughts. Yasuhiro was right... Taka was right. They'll take down the plates... Fuyuhiro, maybe he's just upstairs, or on a trip...

Before you knew it, everyone had entered the gym, except for you.

You took a deep breath before quickly following whoever had walked in last, encountering a...

Totally normal entrance ceremony.

You watched Yasuhiro and Makoto talk, and you didn't know if you wanted to cry, laugh or both. What had gotten into you!? This was so, so unlike you! You knew you were nervous about going back to school but... This was crazy!

You let out a sigh of relief and quickly joined the others, standing near Byakuya, Leon, and Celeste

"Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then lets get things rolling!"

You heard that same, eerie voice from earlier, and, despite the goosebumps that crawled up your arms, you remained completely calm, finally returning to your usual monotone expression.

Then, out of nowhere... He showed up.

A black and white teddy bear seemingly jumped out from beneath the stage, landing on a podium on a decorated stage.

You felt like your ears were ringing... You couldn't focus you were so... Pissed off!

"I am not a teddy bear! I..... Am.... Monokuma!"

"And I am this school's headmaster!"

"What!? This is all a fucking joke, right? Why are you doing this?! Where the hell is everyone!?" You shouted, clenching your fist as you glared down the stuffed animal

"Puhuhuhuhuh, I can assure you I'm absolutely not! I'm Monokuma, and I'm your headmaster! Can't you pay attention?"

You were fuming, at a complete loss for words as everyone else made their own comments towards the stuffed animal, Monokuma... What the fuck ever. Your anger got even worse once he started with the bear puns...

"Now, then... Moving on! We really must get started..."

"Giving up already..? No other stupid bear puns?" Junko snarked, causing you to whine

"Junko... Don't get him started.." You warned, rubbing your temples, feeling a massive headache coming around.

"Quiet down now, Quiet down. Now..."

"Everyone stand at attention and bow! And... Good morning!"

Everyone just stood stiff, glaring, staring... All except for Taka, of course. He gave the bear an overly enthusiastic bow, and shouted "Good morning!!!!"... Much to everyone's expense.

"Y-you don't have to say it back..." Toko mumbled, while you just sighed.

"Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony! First, let's talk a bit about what your school life here will be like. You few students here, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such splendid hope.."

Monokuma's expression grew dark, and everyone grew quiet and eerily still, waiting with baited breath for him to finish the statement. No one would admit it to eachother, but you were all terrified.

"... You will all live a communal life together solely within the confines of this school."

"Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of this school. "

You looked around, but everyone, even Byakuya and Kyoko, had the same confused expression as you...

"Ah, now then... Regarding the end date for this communal life.."

"There isn't one!"

"In other words, you'll be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you've been assigned!"

Y-you can't be serious!" You heard Yasuhiro shout, many of your classmates making similar comments while you simply stared at Monokuma in shock.

You were nervous about Hope's Peak, but nobody could've predicted... This. This... Had to be a joke. There's no way he could just...

"Oh, but fear not! We have quite an abundant budget, so you won't lack for all the common conveniences."

"T-that's not the issue here!" You yelled, your face growing red

"Yeah, that's the least of our worries right now!" Sayaka called in agreement, glancing at you.

More comments, more students protesting against Monokuma's ridiculous statements...

"You can't do that!"

"Yeah, this has to be fake!"

"I am not messing with you! I am not a liar, of that you can be 100% sure"

"Ah, and just for your information... You're completely cut off from the outside world. So you don't have to worry about that dirty dirty land beyond these walls ever again!"

"So all those metal plates around the school..." You heard Makoto begin to speak, but... You weren't totally listening. You were beginning to understand, this wasn't a joke. You didn't know how this was happening, but... Monokuma really had you trapped...

"No matter how much you may yell and scream for help... Help will not come."

Those eerie words sent chills down your spine.

"So with all that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!"

You clenched your fist as your classmates continued to speak, to reject whatever new normal Monokuma was trying to impose on all of you

"...This is just a really bad joke."

"Yeah, cut the shit, this isn't funny anymore!"

You clenched even harder, your white acrylic nails digging deep into your hand, threatening to break through flesh. You didn't even notice.

"You're a bunch of skeptics! But I guess you can't help it, huh? You all grew up in an age where you're taught to doubt your neighbor..."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to figure out whether or not what I'm saying is true. And when that time comes, you'll see with your own eyeballs that I speak the undeniable truth."

"Having to live here forever... Would be quite the problem.." You heard Celeste say, looking down with a worried expression

Yeah... No shit

You glanced around at your classmates, everyone's face full of anger, despair, or a mixture of both. Nobody wanted to believe that this was real, that this was all just a sick, sick joke, but... As Monokuma kept talking, the more time we spent here... How long are we going to keep fooling ourselves?

"C'mon, what's wrong with all of you?"

"You decided of your own free will to attend Hope's Peak academy, did you not?"

"And now, before the entrance ceremony is even finished , you've already decided you want to leave?"

"Oh... But I guess I did forget to mention one thing. There is a one way for you to leave the school.."

"R-really..?" You heard Toko whisper

Your stomach tied itself into knots. Whatever this way was... You didn't trust it. You didn't trust him. Fuck. You just shouldn't have trusted anyone, stayed in America...

"As headmaster, I've crafted a special clause for those of you who would like to leave!"

"I call it... The graduation clause!"

"Now... Let me tell you about this fun little rule."

Monokuma had a happy, innocent expression on his face, and you felt the people around you grow stiff, prepared to listen intently to this... Clause. You narrowed your eyes, wincing as you unclenched your fist. You wanted to pass out again. Or puke. Maybe both. You really didn't want to listen to this bear monologue any longer, but you didn't have a choice.

"As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle"

"And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they and they alone would be allowed to leave the school."

"That, my students, is the graduation clause!"

Everyone just looked... Confused, you included.

Communal lifestyle... Disrupting harmony... What the fuck...

Capturing your thoughts almost perfectly, Byakuya gritted his teeth, clearly growing frustrated with Momokuma. "What do you mean by, "disrupt the harmony?""

"Puhuhuhuhu.... Well.... You know....."

"If one person were to murder another."

You heard Makoto stumble backwards, gasping as he fell onto his back "M-murder!?"

This was so, so much worse than you thought it'd be... Honestly, you'd rather get kidnapped right now...

You looked around, everyone looked equally shocked, scared, confused... You closed your mouth, taking a deep breath as you made eye contact with Byakuya, again. He had the same calculating, grim expression as you. But you... You couldn't believe what you were hearing, but... At the same time, you thought...

That's it? That's all it takes?

If it came down to it... If you could get out, save Fuyuhiko, see all of your family, your clan again... Hell, just get away from this shit hole...

That....

Well, it was awful of course, but...

It... Didn't seem too bad.

You could do it.

"Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, drowning, igniting, how you do it doesn't matter."

"You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that."

"The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible."

It'd grown dreadfully silent again, everyone contemplating what he just said, letting it sink in... This stuffed animal... It scared you more than anything else you'd encountered in your entire life. It seemed like everyone's feelings were mutual...

People were crying, staring, covering their mouths... You couldn't move. You felt the world spinning around you, almost as fast as the thoughts spinning in your head..

You fell down onto one knee, pressing a hand against your head as you heard some boys talking, arguing with Monokuma. You closed your eyes, trying to keep your breakfast from spilling out all over the gym floor, when you'd suddenly feel a gentle, trembling hand on your back.

When you looked up, it was Aoi, trying her best to give you a comforting smile while you regained your composure.

"Thanks..." You said weakly, your skin growing pale.

You were breathing hard, and Aoi helped you stand up, looking you over, and deciding that you looked... Stable.

All you heard was a man screaming "FUCK," A large cracking noise...

"Gotcha, you little piece of shit! I'm gonna rip ya to fuckin' shreds!"

Mondo...?

You pressed a hand against your head, your ears ringing as you heard Monokuma say something about... School regulations. You were more focused on... Not losing your cool, than whatever argument the biker and the bear were getting into..."

You took a few steps away from the action, near Byakuya, who watched the scene with a... Curious expression. It was kind of... Creepy, but... You couldn't judge. You were more physically shaken up than anything else.

You opened your mouth, then heard beeping... Kyoko shout at Mondo...

and then...

BOOOOOOOM

The bear... Exploded...?

He..... Killed Monokuma..?

Whatever had happened... The ringing in your ears was nearly overwhelming at this point. You shook your head, groaning.

Once your hearing had returned.. You looked up, seeing... Another Monokuma?

He'd tried to kill Mondo, but... Thankfully, Kyoko caught on fast.

"I'll let you off with a warning this time, but you better be more careful from now on..."

You sat down, the reality of everything setting in. He talked about security cameras... Rules... This was... So... Real. You were gonna have to commit murder. Kill one of your classmates...

Monokuma gave you a tablet, and you heard him say something about a E-Handbook, don't lose it... But, you couldn't even pay attention anymore. You'd think you'd handle the situation a little better. Murder wasn't something you were unfamiliar with, but.. This... The weirdness, the absurdity of it all... It was hitting you hard.

"Okay, well, that brings our entrance ceremony to a close!" 

You heard those last words, and, when you looked up... Monokuma was gone.

You let out a sigh of relief, and, to your surprise, saw a hand offering you help up.

"Thanks, Ao-"

But when you took it, and looked up, it was no one other than Byakuya Togami.

Everyone was panicking, freaking out, denying, contemplating, in the background, but he was... Strangely calm, pulling you up, before pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose.

"Talk to me once the group starts breaking off, and... Honestly, Kuzuryu, pull yourself together." He said, the last name sending goosebumps down your arms as you slowly walked closer to the forming circle of your classmates, all listening to Kyoko at the moment.

How did he..?

It doesn't matter. He's the "Affluent Prodigy." Of course he knows.

Too much was happening all at once.

Everyone was talking, debating, trying to go over their choices, whether this was even real..

Live here forever, or kill one of your classmates...

"Is there anyone here who's seriously considering this..?"

Byakuya's sharp tone brought you back to the present, and, of course, you weren't about to speak up.

Hypocrite...

Nobody's saying anything... You're all....

Everyone stayed silent, staring at eachother, spreading out, distrust clear as day. We were already doubting eachother, wondering who'd succumb first. The air was tense, filled with hostility as we all sized eachother up..

There wasn't a single person here who WASN'T seriously considering this..

All of a sudden, your attention was shifted back towards Kyoko

"So. What are you going to do now? Stand around and glare at eachother?"

That got the ball moving... People began talking... Taka was being dramatic, but... Everyone was trying to work together, to find a way out.

Soon, you found yourself standing next to Byakuya, your gaze wandering from student to student.

"Who's going to kill first?" He asked suddenly

"Excuse me?" You asked, looking up at the tall blonde, almost dumbfounded by his bluntness.

"You heard me. Answer the question. Your not an idiot, are you?"

You pressed your fingers to your temple, and sighed. "If it's calculated, it's gonna be you or Celeste." You said, looking up at him. "No offense. But... In the heat of the moment, It'll be Mondo, but he'll most likely get caught..."

Byakuya nodded. If he was upset by you implying that he was a potential murderer, he didn't show it.

"But... Kyoko's the blackened's biggest threat. Without her... it'd be you, me, or Celeste. Kyoko's ideally who you'd get rid of first, but... There probably aren't a lot of people here would could do that..."

Byakuya hummed. "So... You have no idea."

"Well.. We all just met. I don't know anything about anyone here. But.."

Byakuya glanced at the group for a moment, before turning towards you, shushing you quietly.

You opened your mouth to say something, but just sighed, examining the crowd at Byakuya's side

"Makoto's going to get killed first." You said softly.

"Almost definitely." He agreed, letting out a soft chuckle. "Sayaka might surprise you, but... Celeste won't be threat until a few weeks in. As for me... I suppose you'll never know," He said, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he glanced at you.

You were glad the others weren't paying attention. If they saw you smiling... Talking during a time like this, you'd never be totally suspicious. Weird, at the very least.

"I know you're thinking about doing it. I'll catch you, you know." He whispered, his intense blue eyes glaring into your e/c orbs, his hot breath on your nose as you glared at the lanky teen, a smirking playing at your lips.

"You can't tell me you aren't thinking about it, hypocrite. I'll just have to kill you before you kill me."

He scoffed, crossing his arms as he looked away. "Don't be an idiot, L/n. This isn't a joke. You try anything, you're going to get yourself killed.".. He warned, turning away and returning to the group, joining the discussion before... Mondo suddenly punched Makoto in the face. Ouch.

Everything about today just... Left you exhausted. Physically and mentally. That conversation with Byakuya... Were you seriously going to commit premeditated murder? Your heart was racing, your face was hot and you wanted to pass out....

What the fuck just happened?

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
[5278 words]

This chapter is really long and really bad. I don't like it.

I promiseeee the chapters are gonna be a lot shorter after this one.

I was following the game to set everything up, but i dont like the way it turned out

After the first day thing'll get more spicy hehe >:)


	3. Investigation!

"What the hell, Owada!?"

You stood to the side, wincing as Makoto literally flew backwards, his cheek red, almost definitely bruised by Mondo's powerful arm.

You hadn't been paying attention for what... Maybe 5 minutes? Even then, you thought you got the jist of the conversation. You'd known eachother for maybe a hour, and already there was so much infighting...

Well....

Everyone wanted to explore the school and meet up. Byakuya, of course, being incredibly suspicious, wanted to go alone. You could tell he was considering "graduating," but he acted like he had the moral highground.. Like everyone else was "filthy." The blonde was confusing. Bitchy. Hypocritical.

Ugh.

You couldn't tell who was more paranoid. You or him.

Then, Makoto said something about getting along, and...

WHAM!

Makoto's eyelids fluttered, but he'd quickly lose consciousnesses. Everyone got quiet, Chihiro on the verge of tears...

"H-hey! What was that for!? He just wanted everyone to get along!" Sayaka yelled, red in the face as she knelt down, inspecting his face. Mondo just shrugged.

"Asshole shouldn't have got in my face."

"What? You're the one who got in *his* face..." Aoi started, but then sighed. You didn't blame her. Getting through to him seemed impossible at the moment.

You had to admit, you knew your class wouldn't be full of your everyday, average high schoolers, but everyone here was straight up eccentric...

"Asahina, could you help me bring Makoto to his room...?" Sayaka asked, rubbing the back of her head.

The brunette nodded, kneeling down to wrap her arms around one of Makoto's shoulders, and Sayaka the other. Everyone else slowly took their eyes off of the scene, and the two girls quickly exited the gymnasium.

"We... Should we still look a-around...?" Chihiro asked quietly, her green eyes flickering across the gymnasium.

Kyoko nodded. "There's nothing we can do for Naegi right now," She started, her cold gaze shifting towards Mondo. "So I don't see why we shouldn't. I doubt we'll find an exit so soon, but we might find some clues, or something that could lead to an escape.."

You felt the anxious knot in your stomach loosen a little. Everything wasn't okay, and you couldn't exactly trust everyone yet, but the way Kyoko took charge, how you all'd agreed to work together, brought you a little bit of comfort within all this despair.

"Any objections?"

Nobody answered, glancing towards eachother before almost everyone shook their head.

"Good, then I don't see the point of standing around any longer."

With that, Kyoko exited the gymnasium, then Byakuya, leaving everyone else behind.

"Guess that m-means we're not going a-as a group, then...?" Toko asked reluctantly, looking towards the ground.

"Obviously." Mondo stated, before walking out as well, Taka following soon after.

Yasuhiro looked around, almost as if he was waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, he sighed, then left.

Everyone else soon followed suite, you included. Some people formed groups, while others, like Byakuya and Kiyoko, chose to investigate on their own.

You'd planned to go out on your own, until Aoi approached you. "Hey... L/n, right? You doing okay? You didn't look too hot earlier..."

You nodded, to which Aoi smiled. "I don't think anyone's really "okay" right now, but I'm doing a lot better. Thanks." You turned to walk away, but she'd suddenly grabbed you by the wrist, turning towards the dorms.

"Sayaka wanted to wait for Makoto to wake up, but me and Sakura are gonna investigate together! Wanna come with?"

"Uhm, thanks, Aoi-"

"Call me Hina!"

You smiled slightly.

"Y/n. You know what... If we're gonna be stuck with eachother, I might as well make a few friends, right?" You started...

"That's right!"

You weren't sure how she'd gotten so energetic after.. All of that, but the positivity was refreshing.

"Sure, Hina."

She beamed, dragging you to the dorms, where Sakura and Sayaka stood infront of Makoto's door, talking amongst themselves, though they both looked towards you as Hina basically dragged you along.

"She said okay!"

Sakura chuckled, approaching you two as she gave Sayaka a wave goodbye. She smiled warmly at you all, before leaning against a wall.

Soon, you three were off, doing your best to look around as thoroughly as possible, making a few discoveries here and there, but you were sure that the other groups knew about them as well.

Shockingly, Mondo had decided he wanted to join your little group, and, of course, Hina was too nice to say no.

Suprisingly, you four didn't have any problems.

First, obviously you found out that every window was covered with metal plates that even Sakura and Mondo couldn't budge, and the entrance hall was the only exit, covered by that large vault door, and a minigun.

Next, all the stairways leading to the second floor were gated off. Sakura and Mondo couldn't get through those either.

Then, there was a mysterious pair of tall, red double doors, locked. They seemed out of place, but... There wasn't anything you four could really do, so you kept looking around, chattering among yourselves.

Well... Hina and Mondo did most of the talking, with you or Sakura responding every once in a while.

It was nice, being around people your age, listening to Hina's silly stories, going off one tangent to the next. Even Mondo seemed chilled out, exchanging funny stories with Hina, talking about things he'd seen with his gang. Even you and Sakura bonded, despite not actually saying much.

Before you knew it, it was almost 7pm; the time everyone had agreed to come together in the dining hall and discuss their findings.

You four were searching a classroom; completely normal, save the regular camera and windows, except for a large drawing of Monokuma done in chalk on, you guessed it, the chalkboard.

"Man... If we did kidnapped, they put a lot of effort into it.." Hina muttered, leaning against a desk as you searched bookshelves, and Sakura did her best to attempt to pry open a sheet of metal. Mondo was searching desks.

"Yeah. And for what? Some sick game? This feels like a nightmare..." You replied, feeling comfortable in the group.

"I wanna kill those bastards! This seriously isn't funny.." Mondo started...

"Hey, I think if there was something in here, we would've found it already. We should head back!" Hina said suddenly, standing up and making her way towards the door. You and Sakura sharing a glance before following.

You four would arrive only about 7 minutes late, but, somehow, everyone else had beaten your little group.

"L/n! Asahina! Ogami! Owada! Care to explain yourselves!? Tardiness is unacceptable!" Taka yelled, instantly turning to face you all.

Hina just huffed and took a seat, while you and Sakura almost hesitantly followed.

"Hop off my dick," Mondo replied.

"We had to finish searching the room we were in. We aren't even in school anyways, why are you so uptight?" You asked, taking a seat between Yasuhiro and Sakura, sitting infront of Makoto. You were glad he'd finally woken up.

Everyone had sat together along a long cafeteria table, except for Byakuya, who sat at a circular table by himself, and Toko, who stood a few feet away. You thought them to be unlikely friends, but... You weren't gonna judge. You wouldn't have seen yourself getting along with Hina so well either.

Taka seemed offended. "Rules are the backbone of our society! If we start ignoring the ones you see as "small," you'll keep ignoring them, until you eventually become a criminal! If everyone does that, the-"

Sayaka cleared her throat, thankfully interrupting Taka's speech. "Taka, it's our first day! Everyone's still adjusting, and we should really try to get along. Or... Stay out of eachother's hair at least. We have way more important things to worry about, so let's just start the meeting.."

Taka seemed dissapointed, but he sat down without arguing with the blue haired teen idol.   
She gave you a smile as you let out a small sigh of relief.

"Hey... Wait, hold on a sec!" Junko started, looking around the room

"Whats wrong!?" Taka asked, back to being as.. Taka as ever.

"What about uh... What's her name? You know, the silver-haired girl."

"Oh yeah, Kiyoko!"

"...What about her?"

"She's not here."

You took a look around the dining hall, and everyone seemed to repeat the motion. Yeah, she was missing...

"Has anyone seen her?" Hina asked, looking nervous. If something had happened, you knew that you, Hina, Mondo, and Sakura didn't do anything, but...

Everyone shook their heads.

You swallowed, and you glanced towards a corner, where Byakuya was sitting. You'd told him Kyoko was the "blackened's" biggest threat earlier, and he'd agreed...

He met your eyes, his expression unreadably, but you knew that he knew what you were thinking...

Or, maybe, he thought that you had something to do with it.

Did he...?

No, not so early....

"Darn it! You too Kyoko!? You're really going to be late like this on the first day of school!?Not only is she late, she didn't tell anyone she would be late! A most unbecoming personality trait.."

Everyone just looked around as Taka spoke, fear, hostility, suspicion filling the room, replacing a once.. Kind of relaxed aura. Nobody said it outright, but you were sure almost everyone was thinking the same thing.

Did Kyoko really get murdered?

Nah, she's just late...

"You're being a real jackass right now, you know that?" Junko snapped, snapping you back to reality.

"Well what do you want me to do!? Punctuality is everything!"

You let out a groan as they started arguing, learning forward on the table as you prepared to get comfortable.

Maybe I was wrong about Makoto, Taka's suddenly looking like a better target..

"Now then, I declare that the first session of the Hope's Peak Academy briefing meetings has begun!"

Hearing Taka say that filled you with irritation and relief. Kyoko was smart. She was probably still investigating. For some reason, you were almost certain that whatever you guys had found, she'd probably found too. She'd probably found more, honestly..

But with that, everyone began sharing what they found around the table, Sayaka catching Makoto up on everything he'd missed when he was unconscious.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Byakuya didn't find anything, getting defensive at Taka's suprise...

Taka had discovered that everyone got their own dorm, but, after meeting up with Sakura and Sayaka, you could've figured that out on your own.

Junko and Chihiro found out that the rooms are soundproof. You... Didn't really want to think about what that meant.

Everyone had their own bathroom, but only the girl's bathroom's locked..

Toko insulted Taka after his report, and you raised your eyebrows. Maybe she wasn't as meek as you thought...

Leon, Chihiro, Junko, and Hiro all grouped up together. They, like you guys, double checked the windows without any luck.

Then, your group reported your findings. You didn't have a way out, no way to communicate with the outside world. No way to make it off the 1st floor, even.

Then, Celeste, Toko, and Hifumi reported their findings... Or, well, lack of findings. Apparently, they'd spent the entire time in the gym.

"I-I blame you f-for leaving me out! I-it's your fault!" Toko snapped, Junko, understandably, pissed by the lack of effort.

"Hmph. F-forget it. L-like i'd want t-to go anywhere with a dirty slut like you.." She said, a dark smile on her lips.

"Slut...?"

"Your mind is as th-thin as your body. You m-make me sick to my s-stomach..."

"I... I don't even know how to react. How can you say something so awful to someone you jusy met?"

She's really fucking weird... Not even fun weird. She's just.. A bitch.

Well... After that fiasco, Sayaka finally told everyone what she'd found when she wasn't waiting for Makoto. There was a fridge in the back of the kitchen that was "overflowing" with food. Then, she said that Monokuma had told her it got restocked every day.

After that, everyone started bickering again..

Until an unknown voice cut through the noise.

"You're all spending an awful lot of time yelling and carrying on."

Your head whipped around, until, thankfully, it landed on Kyoko. You were worried for a moment, thinking it was Monokuma, or.. You didn't even know. You were just on edge.

"Do you really think you can afford to do so? Have none of you accepted the reality of the situation?"

"Kyoko! Where the heck have you been!? We already started the meeting without you!"

Taka was yelling, but she seemed unphased. She just dropped a piece of paper onto the cafeteria table.

A map of the school, she'd inform you. Though she wouldn't tell you where she'd gotten it. After answering some questions, she'd tell you all she'd confirm that you were all indeed still in Hope's Peak Academy. Though there'd been some renovations to the building.

At least you all knew you hadn't been kidnapped...

Somehow, that just made the situation even stranger, gave you more reason to worry..

Hina asked about the other students, and you felt your shoulders tense up. Fuyuhiko could take care of himself, but if your abductor managed to do all this...

Yasuhiro just told everyone to stop worrying. He still thought that the leaders of Hope's Peak planned this out, and wanted to let things "work itself out."

Everyone was so quick to argue, change topics... Ugh. All this stress was seriously giving you a headache.

Celeste and Toko started to get into it, until the gothy teen delivered this spine chilling phrase...

"It is perfectly obvious that we have been imprisoned in some secret location, with no way out."

Everyone stayed silent, until Toko started to panic, wondering what the hell we were supposed to do now...

"It's very simple. If you want to leave, you just have to kill-" Byakuya started, smirking, until he was cut off by Junko.

"Don't even joke about that!"

This reminded you of a similar conversation you'd had with Byakuya, one where'd he'd told you that exact same thing wasn't a joke..

Hypocrite.

Sayaka begged everyone to calm down, to think about what we should do from here...

Celeste told us to adapt. Said it was the only way to survive..

Well, she was right, but...

Then, she suggested that we add in our own, unofficial rule for our stay.

"Going out at nighttime should be prohibited altogether."

"The way things are now, every time night comes we will all start to get worried and anxious. We will all be afraid someone might try and come kill us."

Everyone was surprised by her bluntness, but she did have a good point. She acknowledged that it couldn't actually be enforced, but everyone agreed to comply, though you couldn't ignore the doubt that sang in the back of your mind.

Afterwards, Celeste excused herself, and after a few words, everyone agreed that we might as well... Adapt, as Celeste said, and spend the night. Taka called an end to the meeting, though he said you'd "reconvene" in the morning.

After some conversation, everyone began to head to their rooms, Hina waving you goodbye before you walked to your dorm, scoffing at the pixel portrait of your face, before youd enter, sticking your keys in a pocket, making sure to lock your door behind you.

Your dorm was ugly, totally not what you were used to. The wallpaper was red and outdated, the floor a royal blue carpet...

Well, there wasn't any point in complaining. You were totally powerless right now.

At least Monokuma had left some paints in your room, as well as some canvases, sketchbooks, pencils... You assumed everyone got the same treatment. With their own respective Ultimates in mind, of course.

With a sigh, you slid off your shoes. Then your socks, your jacket, tie, took your hair down, slid off your skirt until you were wearing nothing but your underwear and a long dress shirt. Seeing as he'd taken your belongings, you guessed you just had to sleep in what you wore everyday. At least there was a laundry room.

Inconvenient, but definitely not the worst thing that's happened today...

You undid a few buttons of your shirt, and fell backwards onto your bed, letting out another sigh. You were fucking exhausted, curling up against your pillow, trying to empty your mind and fall asleep...

*Ding dong, bing bong*

You opened your eyes, flickering towards the monitor on your wall, which had lit up with an image of Monokuma holding a glass of wine. 

"Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement m. It is now 10p.m."

"As such, it is officially nighttime."

"Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at that point is strictly prohibited."

"Okay then... Sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite..."

With that, the screen dimmed to black, leaving you in silence.

You didn't know if you wanted to laugh or scream.

You stared at the ceiling, pulling your blankets up to your chest just to have someone to clench. Maybe it was the "Kuzuryu" blood in your veins, but you were pissed off. This was all so... You couldn't even put it into words.

It felt unreal, unacceptable... Less than a day ago you were at home, getting ready for school, eating breakfast without any real care in the world...

Now you were imprisoned in school, told by a stuffed bear you'd be forced to stay forever, or murder a classmate to get free.

The thought made you sick to your stomach.

Flipping onto your stomach, you gripped a pillow tightly as you pushed your face against the soft fabric, letting out the loudest, most bloodcurdling scream you could manage, letting out every negative emotion you'd felt throughout the day.

You wouldn't get much sleep tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okayyy I promise you and Byakuya do more interacting in the next chapter ;) I know a write a lot and im sorry 🥺

but i did warn u that this was a slowburn hehehe

Let me know what you think in the comments!


	4. Burnout

After hours of screaming, contemplating, bargaining, and denying, you'd finally exhausted yourself enough to fall into an uneasy sleep, your fatigued mind finally catching up with your fatigued body. 

As you drifted away, your mind began to conjure up a familiar childhood memory.... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were 6 years old, running around in a beautifully decorated garden. 

Specifically, you were running because you were chasing after your older cousin, Fuyuhiko. He was actually taller than you. Though you'd end up towering over him by 6th grade. 

You two giggled and laughed, playing tag, bundled up in thick, expensive coats, your small feet leaving footprints in the snow, noses bright red....

Life was so simple back then. 

Fuyuhiko was a lot faster than you, but he'd soon trip over a small step obscured by the thick layer of snow. You wasted no time to check and see if he was okay. 

You suddenly tackled him, letting out a triumphant giggle as you enveloped your cousin in a hug, the two of you suddenly covered in snow.

"I got you! I win!!!" You beamed, while your cousin desperately tried to push you away. 

"Nu-uh!! I fell! It doesn't count!" 

"Does too! You never said it didn't before we played!" 

"Thats cus it should be obvious!!" 

"Your just mad cus you got beat by a girl!!" 

You two bickered before Fuyuhiko finally managed to push you away. You just stared... Before you two started laughing again. 

He helped you up with an innocent smile, but before you two could start playing again, a beautiful dark haired woman peeked her head out from a nearby door.

"Hiko!! Y/n/n!! You two are soaked! You better get inside before you get sick!" 

You both simultaneously whined. 

"Aw!!! Aunt Jam-Jam!!!" 

Ever since what happened with your parents, Jabami was the closest thing you had to a mom. 

A crazy, rebellious, badass crime lord with a soft side for her kids. Well... Not her actual kids. Honestly, there should be a movie about her. 

Though, you didn't about the crime back then. 

She grinned at the two of you, pouting with your chubby little cheeks. 

"Don't "aww," me! That might work on everyone else, but if you don't get inside right now, I'll eat you two for dinner!" 

She grabbed a spatula and took a single step outside before you and Fuyuhiko bolted inside, screaming as she chased you with a satisfied smirk. 

"No!!! Don't eat us, Jam-Jam!! We're sorry!!!" 

"You'd better be!" 

The suprisingly strong woman had scooped you both up, one in each arm, showering you forehead kisses as you two blushed and unsuccessfully squirmed away... 

After your aunt was done "attacking" you two, she made you two get changed into some warm clothes, then served you both stew. 

Usually, the dining hall was pretty crowded, but it was just you three tonight. The family'd been pretty busy lately, leaving only you, Fuyuhiko, Jabami, and your grandfather alone in the house. When you asked Jabami about where he was, she just told you that he was working in the office.. 

You looked outside while eating, pouting once you'd realized the sun when down. You and Fuyuhiko wouldn't get to play outside until tomorrow... 

The next thing you knew, you'd presumably finished eating, and were quietly walking through a familiar hallway, the wooden floors cold against your feet... 

Your bright eyes scanned each door, until you reached your desire destination, light flooding into the dim hallway through a open door.

You smiled to yourself, creeping into the room, your grandpa's office, hoping to scare him. He saw you in less than ten seconds, the white haired man letting out a deep laugh. 

"Y/n. I can hear you." 

"Aww!!! How!? I was being super careful! Just like you taught me!" 

"You're breathing too loud." 

"My breathing!? I can't do anything about that!!" 

He chuckled as he gestured for you to come to his chair, which you'd happily do, laughing happily as he pulled you onto his lap. 

"When you get really close to sneaking up on someone, you've got to hold your breath, or else they'll hear it." 

"Like you did????" 

He laughed. "Exactly like I did."

You huffed. "That's too much stuff to remember!" 

He smiled down at you, closing an open laptop, pushing away documents as he pulled his chair up to the desk. 

He then pulled out a sketchbook, skipping through pages and pages of doodles until finding a clean sheet of paper, pulling out a small cup of pens and pencils as well. 

You grinned widely, happily, as you greedily took a pencil, eager to begin drawing, talking, listening to your grandpa tell you stories, teaching you everything he knew about art, the stories behind the creatures you drew... 

You two would stay like that for hours, until Jabami would pass by and lecture the older man for keeping you up too late... 

Then, your slow, wholesome dream of fond childhood memories, the memory of why you'd persue art, turned into a fast, blinding sequence of nightmarish images. 

Blood. So much blood. 

Your grandfather stumbling into your childhood home, gripping the side of his body with labored breaths, a wild, pained expression in his eyes. 

You'd never seen your grandpa upset, much less scared before... 

You were 10 when he'd almost died. There was a knife lodged in his abdomen, but Jabami wrapped him up... Called a hospital, though the image never left your mind, no matter how many times he'd apologized, told you things would be okay.. 

Then... Complete blackness, the bloodcurdling screams of a man and woman, a gunshot, liquid splattering across a hard surface... The smell of mothballs and your dad's cologne. 

A hospital. An office. Therapists... Jabami's special stew. Private school, public school, smell of aphalt after getting pushed to the ground. Skinned knees, smell of paper, cologne, acrylic paint....

Strange men in suits. Hushed conversations. Smell of gunpowder. Tobacco. Iron... Fuyuhiko didn't spend as much time with you anymore... 

Your grandfather's pale face. He'd always been serene, but... He looked too peaceful. 

Then, A gasp, strangling, hands around your neck, his face withering away until there was nothing left but a rotting corpse... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

You jolted upwards with a scream, your trembling hands gripping your neck. No.. your entire body trembling, caked with sweat. 

You looked around the room, your eyes wide with fear, until the memories of yesterday came flooding back in. 

Hope's Peak... Trapped forever... 

A murder game... 

The tension in your body slowly melted away. You weren't in any immediate danger, but this meant.. 

You hadn't dreamt of yesterday. This was real... 

You weren't sure which scenario you'd rather be the nightmare. 

You took a deep, shuddering breath before standing up, peeling off your now slightly damp shirt and throwing it on the bed, glancing up at the clock hanging over your bedframe. 

5:57am. 

You weren't exactly sure when "morning" actually began, but you'd surely have enough time for a shower... Right? 

You peeled off your undergarments and entered the bathroom, praying that your shower would be turned on by now... 

You turned the facet to the left, and water began to leak from the showerhead 

Thank god...

You'd scrub your face, your body, wash your hair... Just normal shower things and wrap a towel around your body, taking a quick glance in the mirror as you brushed your teeth. 

Dark circles had began to form underneath your eyes, but you felt like nobody would judge. You doubted anyone got any real sleep last night. 

Once you were finished getting clean, you'd continue to get ready for the day, going through your drawers to find a hairbrush, hairties... Makeup, even. 

About 30 minutes later, you'd already finished getting dressed when you'd hear a familiar chime... 

*Ding dong, bing bong*

The image of Monokuma from last night flashed to life on your wall monitor.

"Good morning, everyone! It is now 7 a.m and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine!" 

"Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!" 

Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the screen turned black. You felt sick. 

How can this bastard just... Ugh! 

You weren't attending classes, doing anything productive or academic... Why is he acting so calm!? Like this was just a normal school day! 

The announcement said it was 7am, but no natural light entered your room, or any of the school, probably. It felt... Strange. 

Well... Now was your chance to "adapt." 

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, shaking off those last remnants of your nightmare, gathering the courage to leave your room... 

Once you did, it wasn't nearly as exhausting as yesterday. 

Today, everyone just... Did their own thing, really. You watched Makoto and Sayaka talk out of the corner of your eye as you walked towards the dining hall, wanting to get some food... 

They'd make such a cute couple. They're clearly become good friends alright, despite everything... 

When you entered the dining hall, you saw Celeste and Hina already sat down, eating food. Though they didn't interact. 

You'd grab a bottle of water and a cereal bar, afraid to eat anything else. With everything going on... You weren't feeling very hungry. 

You'd sit down and eat with Hina, Sakura joining you soon after. You'd all chat, talk almost as if you were bunch of normal high school girls eating a normal breakfast... 

Then, you'd decide to spend the next couple of hours with them, messing around in the gym mostly. Sakura and Hina were athletes after all. 

You didn't consider yourself to be super fit, but trying to keep up with them was... Impossible! 

They are Ultimates, after all... 

When you'd stopped spending time with them, you wanted to say it was around... 2pm? They were still pumped up, but you were completely and utterly exhausted. Waving goodbye, you apologized and began to leave, Hina leaving you with a cheerful "No worries!" and "See you tommorow!" 

You'd reenter the dining hall to get a drink and something to snack on, totally beat after the hours of exercise you'd gotten after hanging out with the girls. 

While you went off and prepared your meal, you'd see Celeste and Leon in the dining hall, engaged in what looked to be a rather awkward conversation. 

Your suspicions were confirmed after you'd sat infront of the two, Leon letting out a noticeable sigh of relief. 

"Tell me... L/n was it? What do you plan on doing about all this?" Celeste asked, her scarlet eyes meeting your own. 

"You can call me Y/n, and... Just like you said, I plan on adapting. Riding this out til we escape..." 

Celeste locked her fingers together, leaning forward. You were starting to understand why Leon seemed so tense. He was looking at you with sympathetic eyes. 

"Oh, I see. And what if we don't find a way out? What will you do then?" 

You leaned back, cracking your knuckles with a slight smirk "Probably the same thing as you. I'll survive... "Adapt", as you put it." 

She chuckled, taking a sip of tea. "Good answer, Y/n. I'm afraid I spooked Leon here with the sudden interrogations. I'm sorry." 

She spoke with pure eloquence, her peaceful expression revealing nothing about her true feelings within. 

Just what'd you expect from the Ultimate Gambler, you couldn't read her at all. 

"It's fine, Celeste. We're all just worried about the game, right? No hard feelings..." He started, standing up as soon as he saw the perfect opportunity to get out of the conversation. 

"I'll see you guys around. Celeste, Y/n." 

As he left, his striking blue eyes met yours, and the corners of his lips lifted into a small smile... 

Celeste chuckled, grabbing your attention as the redhead left. 

"Leon is... Nice. A bit... Dimwitted. Strange, but nice." 

You nodded, glancing over your shoulder, but he'd already left. 

"Something about him strike your fancy...?" 

You felt heat flood to your cheeks.

"No, nothing like that... I was just thinking..." 

"About what?" 

You'd spend the next couple of hours or so engaged in polite conversation with Celeste, who'd even made you a cup of milk tea while you two hung out. 

By the end of your conversation, you still didn't know much about her, but you felt a little closer. 

You weren't sure how long you could keep up this... Imprisonment, but the first day wasn't so bad. Celeste was mysterious, but polite, and incredibly interesting. You two talked about the others, exchanged stories... You talked about strange clients you'd had, her, about "unique personalities" she'd gambled against. 

It wasn't until you'd started yawning that you'd realized how late it'd gotten. 

"Oh...? Tired already?"

You nodded. 

"Didn't get much sleep last night. Nightmares." 

"Ah... I understand. We could always continue this conversation another time if you'd like to..." 

You stood up, rubbing your eyes as Celeste continued to smile. 

"Yeah. Thanks for the company, Celeste. It was nice." 

"No problem, Y/n. You're an interesting girl to talk to." 

And with that, you gave her a small wave before exiting the dining hall, making your way back to your dorm before being knocked back, walking straight into something.. 

Someone. 

"Why can't you just-" 

You looked up and met a pair of dull blue eyes, a harsh, male voice filling your senses. 

Byakuya. 

"Watch where you're going!? I'm sure you can handle walking and looking at the same time..." 

He then muttered something under his breath, something you couldn't hear. 

"Obviously, it was an accident, Togami." You replied, your tone equally as hard. Defensive. 

"An accident that shouldn't have-" 

You groaned. 

"I'm not doing this right now, silver spoon." 

His eyes widened. 

"Silver...? You're one to talk, Kuzuryu. You and I ar-" 

You quickly shushed him. "Not so fucking loud!" 

He smirked. 

"Hypocrite." 

"Notice how I actually have some humility? Don't go acting like i'm better than everyone else on this fucking planet? That's the difference between you and me, Spoon. I'm not nothing like you." 

"But I am-" 

"I just said i'm not getting into this right now." 

His smirk quickly faded. 

"Just... Watch where you're going next time... *L/n.* No need to act like such a child." 

With even giving you a second to respond, he walked away, though you could swear you felt his cold glare on your back... 

You're the one who...

You didn't notice Toko in the corner, staring you down, biting her thumb so hard it almost bled... 

You blinked, standing still for a moment before continuing on your short journey. Thankfully, you made it inside without any more trouble. 

Well.. You'd made it a whole without an interruption from.. Monokuma? Today felt... Strange. You'd just spent the day socializing, spending time with your classmates. 

You knew there was literally nothing else you could. You'd all searched the school. No escape, no openings. Nothing. 

Of course, you could always just... 

Mh.

Not yet. It was... It might be an option. Further down the line. But right now was too early. You had no idea what everyone else was capable of. You needed to test Monokuma, see what rules you could bend... 

It could be weeks, at the very least before you could get out. Maybe sooner if the police get to you, or your family... Someone's family. Surely someone would notice something was off... 

You let out a groan, stripping down to your dress shirt before laying back onto your bed, falling asleep almost instantly, before the nighttime announcement, seeing as you were considerably less stressed out than yesterday. That, and your time spent spent with Hina and Sakura... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You'd wake up at the morning announcement, your mind blank. Groggy. You hadn't had any dreams, but it was probably for the best.

You'd do what you did the day before. Shower, get dressed, go out to eat breakfast... 

No interference from Monokuma, no murder. Nothing. This was what, your third day? And you were already growing restless, itching to escape. 

Today was a blur. You'd spent some time with Leon, who'd seemed more eager to talk to you compared to yesterday, and had some conversation with Mondo. Unlikely "friends," sure... But you had nothing else to do. 

Well.. No need to go into any detail. 

Before you knew it, your third day was over. 

You curled up onto your bed, pulling your knees up to your chest as you closed your eyes, your nails digging into exposed skin. 

When am I going to get out of here...?

Are we actually gonna make it out of here? 

No... 

We can't escape... 

There's only one thing I can do... 

But... 

Your morbid thoughts accompanied you as you slowly slipped into an uneasy slumber....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You didn't dream. 

Instead, you were jolted awake by the sound of a door slamming shut. 

"What the...?" 

You mumbled, sitting up as you glanced towards the source of the noise. 

It was Byakuya, walking towards you in the dark, his figure hard to make out. 

"Togami...? How did you...?" 

He said nothing, glaring you down as he got closer, and... 

Fuck. 

He was holding a knife. 

"I-I locked my door, you... You're seriously..." 

You began to stammer, rolling out of bed onto the side farthest away from him, your eyes scanning the room for something you could use to defend yourself. 

"This is rushed, y-your being rash... They'll k-know who did it..." 

No response. 

"Togami... Byakuya, just w-walk away, I won't say a-anything..." 

You'd began to plead, your heart pounding in your ears as he slowly kept inching towards you. 

Then, you felt a hand squeeze your throat. 

You let out a gasping breath, staring at Byakuya with wide, terrified eyes as he choked you, pushing you against a wall.

Then... A sharp, sudden pain in your abdomen, warmness... Liquid sliding down your stomach. 

You let out a scream, the pain nearly unbearable as he pressed a hand against your mouth, a wicked grin adorning his features... 

No... No! Not like this! 

I'm not... I'm not ready to die! 

You grunted, slamming your knee up into his crouch, gasping as he pulled away, the knife sliding out of your abdomen as you pushed him away, clenching your hands into fist before you punched him as hard as you could, sending him stumbling back further. 

Your vision was getting hazy, blood pouring from an open wound, but... 

Not like this...

You lept into action, pulling open your drawer to grab your sewing kit, taking a long needle.. 

Byakuya had gotten back up, wiping away blood that oozed from his nose as glared at you, his grey eyes full of malicious intent. 

You felt adrenaline and rage course through your veins. 

You charged at the lanky teen, one hand pushing his armed hand away, the other, driving the needle through his chest, screaming as you pushed him onto the ground, pulling the needle out, stabbing him again. 

This is it...! 

You felt yourself begin to smile, lost in the moment, before you'd suddenly let out a carefree laugh, giggling as you watched Byakuya bleed out from underneath you. 

I... I'm free! 

You were overwhelmed with emotion, then... 

Stabbing. Burning pain, more intense than anything you'd ever known... 

Blood leaked from your mouth. 

You glanced down... Looking up what looked to be... Scissors? Protruding from your chest, blood staining your shirt... 

"H-Ho...." 

You heard a giggle from behind you. 

Toko had walked around you, holding a second pair of scissors with a manic smile. 

Tears slid out from your eyes as she held the sharp utensil to your neck. 

"Aw... You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you!? C'mon... You don't blame me, you'd do the exact same thing in my shoes..." 

She chuckled, pressing the scissors closer to your neck, blood dribbling down your skin as she glanced towards Byakuya. He was unconscious, or maybe even...

"Mh. Looks like you already did, actually..." 

"Well.. Bye-bye!" 

Then, she slid the scissors across your throat and everything went black. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"N-NO! I'M NOT READY!" 

You screeched, your voice cracking as you felt yourself flail, falling... 

"PLEASE!" 

You were sweating, trembling, wide awake, your heart about to burst... 

Tears slid down your cheeks as you pressed your hands against your throat, your chest... Searching for a wound, anything.. 

Nothing. No blood, not a scratch...

Am I... Dead!? 

You were on the floor, tangled in a mess of pillows and blankets. 

No.... No... I'm... I can't be...

You pulled yourself up with your mattress, catching your breath as you stood up. You were hyperventilating.

You were back in Hope's Peak. 

You let out a shaky laugh. 

A dream... Of course it was a dream.... 

It all made sense. How'd Byakuya had somehow gotten into your room... 

God, I'm an idiot. 

You looked at a clock. 

3am.... 

You'd lay back down, trying desperately to fall back asleep, or, at the very least, expel the nightmare from your mind.

It'd all been so real... 

Then, almost as if the hours had blurred by... 

*Ding dong, bing bong...* 

7am... 

You didn't shower. Hell, you didn't even get up. Your fatigue had been piling on for days now, hopelessness settling in... 

I can't keep living like this... 

You felt like a lion in a cage, prowling, pacing, waiting for the smallest opportunity to.. 

A sharp knocking at your door tore you away from your thoughts. 

It was just a dream... 

You slowly sat up, approaching your door, unlocking it, cracking it to see who the hell wanted to talk so early... 

He's not going to hurt you... Yet. 

It was just Taka. 

He pushed the door open, intending to come inside... Until a sudden blush covered his cheeks. Clearly, he'd expected you to be dressed. 

He cleared his throat. 

"Well, I. Uh..." 

You took a step back as you both subconsciously looked away. 

"It's been decided... From now on, everyone will be eating breakfast together everyday. Please head to the dining hall at your earliest convenience.." 

"Okay..." 

Taka quickly closed the door, leaving you alone yet again. 

Embarrassing sure, but way better than a murderer....


	5. Never Bring a Knife to a... Nope! It’s just a Knife Fight!

After Taka's intrusion, you'd pulled your hair into a bun, and slide on your skirt, shoes.. Leaving your long socks and jacket in your room. You were burning up, uncomfortable. 

You... Looked like a mess, frankly. 

Your dark circles had only grown more prominent, your hair was unkempt, stray bits of mascara smudged underneath your eyelids... 

You yawned, tying a shoelace before exiting your dorm. 

I can't keep living like this... 

Something's got to change... 

The more hopeful side of yourself said that today was a new day. Maybe with these meetings, everyone getting together more often, something would change. For the better. You'd find a way to escape, or, at the very least, a better way to cope with... All of this. 

Your pessimistic side told you that you'd be stuck here forever. Kill or be killed. 

All your options seemed bleak. 

You'd be the last one to enter the dining hall. 

"Okay, looks like everyone's here. So then, let's begin our very first "breakfast meeting"! 

You took a seat next to Hina, everyone sitting in the same place they'd sat a few days ago, when you'd all first gotten together. 

"Hey... You okay, Y/n? I didn't see you yesterday, and..." 

You nodded, giving her a small smile. 

"I haven't been able to sleep lately, but i'm alright, Hina. Thanks for asking." 

She hummed, unconvinced by your answer. 

"Okay, well... You can always talk me and Sakura about things, yknow!" 

You just nodded once more, Taka interjecting into your short conversation. 

"Everyone, thank you for making time in your busy schedules to come together." 

"I didn't make time for shit. You dragged me here..." Leon grumbled. You chuckled at the comment, causing him to look at you with a sudden, almost sheepish smile. 

"Someone has a cru-ush~" Hina whispered, causing you to blush, and roll your eyes. 

"I know I already mentioned this earlier, but in order to get out of here, it is essential that we all cooperate with each other." 

"And the first step is this breakfast meeting, to allow us to become friends and build trust! So from now on, let's all meet here in the dining hall every morning after the morning announcement!" 

You leaned back, propping your feet up onto the cafeteria table as you got more comfortable. 

"Now then, let's eat!"

"You w-want me to eat breakfast with other p-people? I've never done that b-before. I'm not s-sure.." 

You glanced at Hina as Toko began to spoke, hiding the sour expression that threatened to glance your features. 

Ever since that interaction with Junko.. You had a bad feeling about her. 

"Yeah, it's been a while for me, too." Leon said. 

"Well, anyways, did anyone come up with any clues?" Junko asked, leaning forward. 

The hall went silent. 

"Great..." You mumbled under your breath. 

"Seriously? Nothing at all!?" 

"Anything, it can be about how to get out, or who's doing this, nobody has anything!?" 

Junko was starting to look kind of pissed off. 

"...You are going to die." 

Celeste had said that so calmly, but... 

"Huh...?" 

"If you can't stop yourself from showing weakness infront of others.... You will die." 

You shuffled around in your seat, tension filling the air. 

She's not wrong... But.. 

"W-what the hell? Don't even freaking joke about that!"

"I am not joking. Adaptability is survivability. Did I not say so? So you better hurry up and adapt to your new life here." 

She was smiling, but it was almost like her words were laced with venom. 

"Have you gone completely insane? Adapt to my new life here? Do you have any idea what you're saying?" 

You were starting to grow tired of all this... Bickering. Constantly. Everyone here was more than aware of their "new life." What that entailed...

"And what else do you plan on doing!? We all know there's only one other alternative." 

You snapped, raising your voice, irritability clear in your expression. 

She just groaned, holding a hand up to her forehead. 

"No. I'm not fucking killing anyone, but just staying here is just... Crazy!" 

"Yeah, sounds like the girl wants to live here. And hell, more power to her. But shit... " 

Mondo had began talking, too. Great. 

"No way in hell am I living here! I'm gettin' outta here, I don't give a shit!" He yelled, his face turning red. 

"Hmhm. Sure, feel free." Celeste laughed, completely unphased. 

"Okay, so... Nobody has any clues?" Leon interrupted, almost to your rescue. 

"One thing I can tell you is who's behind all this. Someone who's totally weird and messed up." Hina commented. 

"Why else would we be trapped here in the first place?" 

"Well, sure, it could be something like that. But for right now, actual clues are... " 

You took a deep breath, and Hina glanced at you, placing a hand ontop of yours. 

You were both embarassed and appreciative of her support. 

You were just... Irritable today. Tired. 

Everyone kept talking, but nobody came up with anything substantial. 

Chihiro mentioned a murderer, someone who could be behind this... 

Genocide Jack. 

Everyone seemed surprised by her theory, but nobody said it was impossible. 

Genocide Jack was, as Byakuya put it, a...

"monstrous villian who's murdered scores of villian in brutally bizarre fashion... The word "bloodlust" was left at each murder scene, written in the victim's own blood." 

"Whoever it is, he's like a ghost. He strikes without warning, and disappears without a trace. And on the Internet, they started calling him..."

"Genocide Jack. That about covers it, I think." 

You sure know a lot about killers, Togami....

You raised an eyebrow. Sure, you'd heard of him on the internet, but.. 

Could he really be behind this?! 

Yasuhiro mentioned over a thousand victims... Junko said it was just a legend, but... 

Toko glanced around, completely silent. 

Chihiro would continue. 

"Anyway, whoever Genocide Jack really is, he's obviously some kind of super crazy killer." 

Everyone could agree on that, at least. 

There wasn't any evidence, any sort of clues. It was just a hunch, but... 

"Well... A theory's better than anything we had before." You said, crossing your arms. 

"Hey! It's gonna be okay! Everything's gonna be okay! Cuz help's gonna be here soon, I'm sure of it!" Hina encouraged, raising her fist, determination filling her expression. 

Toko seemed confused, but Hina made some good points. 

Nobody has been able to reach us... Someone had to have called the cops... 

"AHH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA" 

"Police? You're putting your faith in the police?! 

Monokuma had appeared, laughing in our faces. 

"What are you doing here!?" Sakura growled, glaring at him. 

If looks could kill... 

Monokuma would go on a monologue. Calling the police "foil," only to be crushed by evil organizations. An unreliable group of losers... 

I mean come on! If you really, REALLY wanna get out of here, all you gotta do is kill!" 

Yasuhiro would laugh. Impressed by the commitment to this "act," apparently. 

You'd drown out the ensuing argument between Mondo and Monokuma, then... 

"Puhuhuhu! It's so simple! I just have to give everyone a motive!" 

"Motive? What the fuck are you talking about!?" 

"Oh, by the way! There's something I wanna show you guys!" 

"Stop changing the goddamn subject!" 

"I have a little video I'd like you all to see. Oh, but don't worry. It's not some pervy "adult" video or anything. Seriously, it's nothing like that!"

You looked around. You.. Didn't like where this was going. Everyone seemed to feel the same way. 

"It's a special video for each of you showing what's going on outside the school." 

"What are you-" Makoto had began to speak, but Monokuma quickly cut him off. 

"Heh-heh! Ooh, Master's so impatient today! Why don't you just watch it and find out?" 

"Here in the school, there's a specific place you can go that has everything you need to watch the video." 

"Good, then we can go watch the video right now." 

Kyoko's calm voice filled your ears. 

"But before we do that, I'd like to know...

Who are you? Why would you do something like this? 

What do you want from us?"

Monokuma acted clueless, then... 

"Despair. That's all." 

Your heart dropped to the floor. 

He didn't care to elaborate. 

Despair... Well... 

He'd have to try a little harder than that. 

Monokuma called you guys entertaining, said he wouldn't stop you from trying to figure out the mystery behind the school, and left... 

After some more conversation, Mondo had convinced Makoto and Sayaka to go check out what'd Monokuma meant by the video... 

"Well..." 

"Well." 

"Guess we just have to wait, huh?" You said, not caring to stand. 

The others agreed with you. 

A few minutes later, Sayaka would run back into the hall, telling you all that Makoto had found something. 

She'd lead to wherever Makoto had found the videos, everyone lightly jogging behind. 

Then, when you'd all approached the room, you heard Makoto yell. 

"I have to get out of here and make sure everyone's okay!" 

You were all really confused.

"Wh-what going on?" Hina asked, concerned.. 

He just pointed to a cardboard box sitting on a metal desk. 

We all gathered around the box, picking out our names from the mix.. 

Y/n L/n. 

You felt nervous as you picked up your DVD, dread settling in your stomach. 

Nobody else wasted any time as they rushed to a monitor, so.. You did too. 

You bit the inside of your cheek as you slid the DVD into a player, blinking as the screen lit up to life. 

It was... Jabami. Your aunt. Hirose. Her boyfriend. About... 8 other members of your family. And... 

Fuyuhiko. 

Why isn't he...? 

"Y/n..." 

Jabami began to speak, smiling at the camera. 

"We're all so proud of you, seeing how far you've come... I know your parents, your grandpa, most of all, would be proud of you, too." 

"Kick some ass out there!" You'd heard another family member call out, bringing a small smile to your face. 

Does that mean Fuyuhiko's alright? 

"Hey, Y/n. I was... Kind of awkward at first, too. But I know you'll do great." You heard him say, glancing away from the camera. 

"Oh..." You said softly brushing your hair out of your face as you watched the screen, your family, all gathered around to support you... 

"I miss you all so much.." 

After you'd muttered that, the screen flickered... 

Then... 

The image faded, changing to a gruesome scene... 

Bodies... Blood, everywhere. Your family home was on fire, everyone dead, except for... 

Jabami and Fuyuhiko.

You covered your mouth, your eyes growing wer... You tried to hold back the sudden emotion that gripped you like a noose. 

This has got to be fake... They can't... Can't be... 

"Y/n... Her life might've been a little rough at first, but she was living the dream! 

The Kuzuryu clan... She had contacts, all the money she wanted... Her family loved her! And she loved them!"

You wanted to puke at the sound of Monokuma's voice. 

"Dear old gramps taught her how to be an artist, and she got rich! Famous! Even made it to Hope's Peak... 

And she repays her family by abandoning them." 

"N-No! That's not what I-" 

"What happened to them!? What has Y/n done!?" 

Then... The screen faded to black, save for large, orange words.. 

Look for the answer after graduation! 

The DVD slowly slid out of the player, and you stumbled backwards, your hands shaking as you held yourself up by a desk, a tear sliding down your cheek. 

"T-This... He's lying! I didn't do anything! N-nothing happened..." 

Your mind flickered back to that gruesome image. So many bodies, so much blood... 

Everyone had similar reactions. 

"What the fuck...!?" 

"Th-this can't be real, right!? It has to be fake, right!?" 

Everyone was shocked, refusing to believe this, begging to get out of here... 

You knew they'd all seen scenes similar to your's. Their families, loved ones, mysteriously taken away from them... 

Celeste and Kyoko were... Contemplative. Investigative. You had no idea how they could be so calm, after seeing that... 

Everyone was talking, but your mind was abuzz... 

Jabami... Fuyuhiko... 

Fuck! I've got to save them! 

Then... You heard Sayaka scream, and bolt out of the room. 

"Sayaka!?" 

Hina wanted to chase after her, but... 

"Let her go." Byakuya commanded. 

Makoto didn't seem to want to leave her alone, not that you blamed him. 

Toko said she could care less, but... That's Toko. 

The next thing you knew, Celeste was leaving, and everyone followed soon after. You included. 

You... Really needed time. You didn't know what you wanted, needed to do... But they were right. Everyone needs to stay calm. This was just a trick, a motive to try and trick you all into killing eachother. 

Nothing more, nothing less. 

He wants despair. I can't give in, yet...

You doubted anyone wanted company right now, and, honestly, you didn't feel like talking much, either. 

Obviously, your family knew you were at Hope's Peak. The Kuzuryu clan was not something to mess with. There was no way they were dead... 

They'll come save you... 

You made your way to your dorm, kicking off your shoes and falling back into your bed, staring up into the ceiling. before you felt yourself begin to cry... 

T-They... 

I didn't abandon them. I'd never abandon them... I'd never leave Fuyuhiko... 

They... They'll come for me, right!? 

They won't abandon me, right!? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your eyes fluttered open, and the first thing you did was pinch yourself. 

You're awake. 

With a soft yawn, you slid up, stretching, cracking your neck... 

You must've fallen asleep after you'd watched that video... 

That awful, gut-wrenching video... 

It's fake. No despair... Hang in there. 

Don't give him what he wants. 

You took a breath, standing up, slipping your shoes on before feeling a sudden dryness in your throat, your stomach grumbling... 

You hadn't drank or eaten anything in over a day. 

You rubbed your eyes as you grabbed your keys, unlocking your door to exit the dorm, looking around before making your way to the dining hall. 

The hallways were completely empty, the school filled with silence. 

You shrugged it off. 

Everyone was probably in their dorms, or in some other room in the school. You didn't blame them for wanting to be alone, after what'd happened earlier today... 

You approached the dining hall, tugging on the door, but... 

It wouldn't open. 

What the hell..? 

You pulled and pushed it and, sure enough, it didn't budge. Then, you glanced at a nearby clock. 

11:05... 

Damn. You thought you'd only been asleep for a few hours, but... It was nighttime. 

Well, you'd just have to get food in the morning. 

Walking back towards the dormitory, you froze, hearing the sound of a door creaking open. 

Did someone else sleep through the announcement...? 

You approached the dormitory hallway. hiding behind a corner before peaking. The stranger was Byakuya... 

Byakuya with a knife. 

Holy shit. 

Holy. Shit. 

Fuck! 

You knew you were wide awake, and, after those videos... Well. You weren't completely surprised it was Byakuya. He seemed... Ruthless. 

He was examining each dorm, seemingly looking for something, his footsteps nearly silent... 

That's... When you made a decision. 

I can't let him do this... 

He'll get caught...

More importantly, someone will get killed... 

If anyone is getting out of here. Its you. 

You took a deep breath, holding your breath as he got closer to your corner, waiting for the right moment... 

When he turned his back, you inched towards him, suddenly grabbing him by the shoulder and slamming him against a wall, gripping his wrist and holding it up above his head, making sure he couldn't stab you. 

He let out a surprised gasp, and struggled, staring you down. 

"Fucking- Idiot!" You scolded, your arm pressing against his throat as you tried to keep him subdued. 

"You really think you'll get away with it!?" 

He grunted, trying to shove you off. 

"Yeah, actually, I do!" 

"Fucking stupid! Killing so early-" 

"I don't have a choice!" 

He shoved you away, grabbing you and slamming you against the wall, flipping your position. 

"Y-you're just giving him what he wants!" 

He held the knife to your throat, gritting his teeth as he held your wrist above your head. 

"We- Don't even know if the videos are real!" 

Your mind rushed back to your dream... 

"Togami!" 

He just stared you down, your wrist on fire, small specks of blood forming on your neck.. 

"Togami, they'll catch you! You don't know these people! Kyoko will-" 

Almost as if it were on cue, Leon walked out of his dorm, looking at you with sudden shock. 

"Hey! What are you-" 

"This... Bastard!" You grunted, as Byakuya quickly obscured his knife, though you felt the tip press against your stomach... 

You smirked at the sudden fear in his eyes. 

"H-He..." 

Leon began walking towards you two. 

"He what!? Are you okay!??" 

"He's trying to take my calzone!" 

"Huh!???" 

Byakuya tried to hide his surprise. 

"I took the last calzone from the dining hall! He's trying to steal it from me!" 

You knew the dining hall was closed, but... 

Well... Leon did seem to have a soft spot for you. All girls, probably. And he wasn't the brightest... 

He laughed. "Y/n, you seriously had me scared! I thought he was gonna kill you or something!" 

You and Byakuya both laughed as well, though you weren't able to hide your tension. 

"N-Nope! Just arguing over food! Winner takes all!" You laughed, your gaze shifting back to Byakuya. 

He was doing his best to play along, but you could tell he was nervous. 

"Well- I'll see you two around!" He said, his voice almost shaking before he reentered his dorm. 

You weren't sure why he'd left at night, but... You had more important things to worry about. 

Byakuya had pulled the knife back up to your throat, but he seemed... Hesitant. 

"Can't kill me now, Togami." 

You smirked, then suddenly kneed him in the crotch, grabbing his wrist, and twisted the knife out of his grasp. 

He fell backwards after you'd shoved him away, giving him no time to react. He'd look up at you with a grunt, and a nasty glare. 

"I never wanted to kill you in the first place." 

"Really? Could've had me fooled." 

After a moment of contemplation, you held a hand out, offering to help him up. He slowly accepted, pulling himself up and brushing himself off. 

"I-I had a plan. But..." He sighed. 

"It's stupid?" You guessed. "Fucking idiot... Kyoko would've found you in half a hour." 

He looked away. "F-Fine. It was rash. I would've framed Toko, but.." 

"You don't even know if Monokuma would actually let you leave." 

"You think I don't know that!? I didn't have a choice! the Togami-" 

"Listen, Spoons-" 

"Spoons?" 

"Spoons. You can act all you want, but you've never actually killed someone with your own two hands. You need to wait. Wait til someone else strikes first, second..." 

He raised an eyebrow. 

"Why are you helping me?" 

"I'm not helping. I just took your weapon. I'm just saying... I know how you feel." 

"That's why you..." 

You nodded. 

"I need to get out of here, too, but not by killing. Not yet. Ride it out, Togami. "Adapt." 

He let out a deep breath, before letting out a chuckle. 

"That's your plan?" 

"Until we know more, anyways." 

"You're planning on killing." 

You looked away. 

"When the time comes... It's a last resort. Someone'll come looking for us before then."

Once you decided that Byakuya wasn't gonna fucking stab you, you slid the knife into a jacket pocket. 

"You don't know that." 

"You don't know that they won't." 

He went quiet, and you two just stared at eachother, unsure of what was gonna happen next...

"Fine. I'll give it two weeks. Tops. We'll see how good everyone else is at... Investigating." 

What he'd said a few days ago... 

Maybe we're more alike than I thought. 

"I won't say a word about this, if you won't." 

You offered, looking up at the taller teen. 

"Deal. Just... Don't go breaking our truce. If you manage to get out before me..." 

He looked down, before sighing. 

"...." 

"Thank you." 

You two shared a glance. Silent, mutual understanding. You two were capable of murder, willing to murder... 

But you wouldn't. If you killed, Byakuya would get you caught. If Byakuya killed, you'd get him caught. 

You kept eachother in check. 

He turned to return to his dorm, before glancing back towards you. His cold, unfaltering expression had quickly returned. 

"Don't... This doesn't make us friends, Kuzuryu." 

"Didn't think it did, Spoons."

He just huffed, and you smirked, walking off to return to your dorm. You heard him do the same. 

You knew Leon was a witness, but... 

You made sure to lock your door... Just in case.


	6. Murder, Confrontation... Oh! The Drama!

After your tense confrontation with Byakuya, you'd spend the rest of your night in your dorm. You were stressed out. Your emotions were... Jumbled. All over the place. 

Those videos... 

If they'd gotten to Byakuya, who else was thinking about killing? You were in your dorm, your door was locked, and you were sure everyone else was in a similar situation... 

But who knew what'd happen tommorow? How far would Monokuma keep pushing? How long would it take for someone to snap? 

You couldn't do anything but trust your classmates, unfortunately. You couldn't control anyone's actions but your own. All you could do is protect yourself, and hope everyone else keeps to their word... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ironically, you'd gotten more sleep yesterday than all your other days at Hope's Peak combined. 

You'd wake up to the morning announcement, same as any other day, feeling more awake and refreshed than ever. 

Well... Seems like everything's still... Normal, all things considered. 

Does that mean everything's fine? Nobody...?

You'd get up and take a quick shower, wiping small bits of crusted blood off of your neck. You... Didn't try to think about it too much. 

As tough as you tried to act last night.. You were scared. Sure, you grew up around shit like that, but you'd never had a knife held up to your throat like that, stared death in the eyes... 

Fuck, I just said i'm not gonna think about that! 

You'd brush your teeth, put on some makeup... You know the drill. You'd even tie your hair into a simple half-up half-down style before getting dressed. You were feeling pretty decent! 

Then... You remembered what Taka said, about meeting up in the morning.

Well... Might as well give it a shot! We gotta cooperate if we wanna escape, right!? 

Walking towards the dining hall, you really were feeling a lot better than you did yesterday. Like you were letting yourself have a little bit of hope...

More likely, you were probably just well rested. Sleep deprivation tends to leave people in a bad mood.. 

You'd arrive to see that a good chunk of your classmates were already in the cafeteria, save for Celeste, Toko, Sayaka, Byakuya, and Kyoko. Everyone seemed to be waiting. 

You'd expect the others to be late, but Sayaka... 

Well. She seemed shaken up yesterday, maybe she just needed some time alone? 

"Morning, Hina." 

You'd greet the swimmer as you prepared a tall plate of breakfast, eager to begin eating. 

She smiled back, waving at you, inviting you to sit down with her, Sakura, and Chihiro. 

"Good morning, Y/n! Sleep okay!?" 

You nodded, taking a big, eager bite of food. 

"Yeah, actually, I'm feeling pretty good!" 

She beamed, and the others began to eat as well. 

"That's good to hear, Y/n. I was worried about everyone, but..." 

Sakura glanced around. 

"Everything seems fine." 

Soon, everyone had arrived, save for Byakuya and Sayaka. 

So... Not everyone. 

"Wait, aren't we still missing some people?" 

Taka looked around as he spoke, his eyebrows furrowed. Whether he was irritated or just worried, you couldn't tell. He always looked so intense... 

"Yeah, Sayaka and Byakuya aren't here yet." Hina announced. 

Byakuya... Did he!? 

No. He said he wouldn't... 

You swallowed, shifting uncomfortably in your seat.

"Well... I'd expect that from Byakuya. He doesn't seem like a "people person" You said, crossing your legs before taking another bite of food. You were trying to stay relaxed. 

"...What's going on? Did something happen?" 

Speak of the devil.. 

Byakuya raised his eyebrows, strolling into the cafeteria to take his usual seat by himself. 

"Hey man! Have you seen Sayaka?" 

"Why would I have? I just came straight from my room to here." 

Mondo and Byakuya had began talking, and you let yourself... Actually relax. Honestly, you didn't blame Sayaka for wanting to be alone. She seemed more shaken up than anyone else yesterday. 

"Did she forget about our breakfast promise?" 

You glanced at Hifumi as he spoke. 

"I got the sense she always had her stuff together..." Kyoko contemplated. You could tell her mind was racing. 

"She might just want some time alone. She seemed pretty shaken up yesterday.." You offered casually, taking a sip of coffee. 

Makoto didn't seem to believe you. 

"I-I need to go! I have to check on her!" 

He'd quickly flew out into the hall, and you continued to eat breakfast. 

"Well... Guess we'll have our answer soon enough." 

Makoto would be gone for 5 minutes, then 10... 

"Hey.. What do you think's taking so long?" Hina asked, looking concerned about the boy. 

"Maybe they just... Got caught up talking?" Yasuhiro offered, scratching the back of his head. 

"Possibly. They seemed to be becoming good friends. Still... Someone should check on him." Celeste said, inspecting her fingernails. 

"Yasuhiro, go check on him." 

"Huh?? Why me!?" 

"You spoke before me, that's all." 

"What kind of logic is that!?" 

"Just do it." 

Celeste's voice had gotten stern, and, before you knew it, Yasuhiro had left to go check on Makoto. 

What happened next would be... 

Well...

Sayaka had... 

She... 

Yasuhiro had came back, told you all something about.. Makoto passing out, Sayaka being...

Dead. 

Sayaka was dead. 

Just thinking about it left a bad taste in your mouth. 

You'd all decided to see it for yourselves, of course. You'd wandered over to Makoto's room, which had been trashed in some sort of struggle, then...

You grew as stiff as a corpse, dread, anger, confusion... Despair, filling your senses. You wanted to throw up. 

There was no doubt about it.

She'd been murdered. Stabbed to death in Makoto's bathroom. Blood, everywhere... 

Everyone had a similar reaction. It'd grown eerily quiet, save for soft sniffles, crying... 

You were all in complete, utter shock.

"A body has been discovered!" 

Monokuma's voice filled the room, then, suddenly, he'd appeared before you all,  
telling you to meet up at the gym. 

Hina was the first to react. It'd taken a minute for you all to snap back to reality. 

"H-huh!?? A class meeting at a time like this!?" 

"Yeah, just do it!!" 

"What about Makoto?" 

"I don't care! Just carry him!" 

So... That's what you did. 

What Yasuhiro did, actually... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It's obvious he's the one who killed Sayaka!" 

Makoto had been awake for maybe 5 minutes at this point. You'd all did as Monokuma told, met up in the gym, then... 

"I would never do that! If you can believe anything, you can believe that!" 

"He's here again..." 

"Unless someone violates a school regulation, I absolutely will not interfere." 

You crossed your arms as he spoke, looking down. The shock of Sayaka's death had finally gone away, but now..

"The one who killed her is... One of you!" 

You'd began to suspect as much, but hearing him say that... 

Everyone went quiet. 

"One of you decided to kill Sayaka so that you could graduate!"

"Someone's just following the rules. There's nothing wrong with that!" 

Hifumi and Makoto refused to believe it, swearing that Monokuma had killed her, but after a few minutes, everyone had began to suspect eachother. Fear, confusion, and suspicion filling everyone's expression. 

You locked eyes with Byakuya, the two of you locked in a short, intense stare. He was your first guess, and, apparently, you were his... 

"Someone... Someone killed someone!" 

"It is amazing what some people are capable of." 

"H-hey! Don't just assume that he's telling the truth!" 

"That's enough." 

Byakuya's sharp voice silenced the sudden bickering. 

"Before we do anything else, I'd like to confirm something with the stuffed animal here."

"If one of us really did kill her, that person gets to graduate from the school, right?" 

Byakuya looked intense, staring him down... 

"...Huh?" 

Monokuma replied with a confused look on his face. 

"Don't play dumb! That's what you said, isn't it!? If you kill someone, you get to leave!" 

Byakuya began raising his voice, gritting his teeth, and you felt your suspicion begin to grow. 

"Puhuhu..." 

"Puhuhu!!! Poohohoho!" 

The bear had erupted into a fit of laughter. 

"Bwahahahahaha!" 

"Why are you laughing!?" 

Leon gaped, sweat beading on his forehead. 

"Puhu... It's cuz..."

"Naive.. You're just so naive!" 

"You think it's really that easy? You can just kill someone and waltz on outta here?" 

"You're super naive! Devilishly naive! HELLISHLY NAIVE!" 

You felt your nausea worsen, a stress headache form as the stuffed bear raved, his eery voice growing... Crazed, almost. Fast, intense... 

He... 

The rules mentioned that you couldn't get caught. We've gotta... Try to find out who did it, right? 

"No no no, the real thing has just begun." 

"The... Real thing?" 

Makoto had finally regained the confidence to speak. 

"Are you ready!? Allow me to explain the second part of the rule regarding graduation!" 

"Just like I explained before, you must kill someone if you want to leave. However..." 

"Even if you do that, there's still one more part of the agreement you have to uphold, remember?" 

Agreement... 

That's bullshit. You never, ever, would've ever agreed to live in a place like this, take place in a killing game.. 

"You are referring to rule number six of the school regulations.." Celeste began. 

"If you are the "blackened" that committed the murder, you can't be found out by the other students." 

"That is what you are talking about, is it not?" 

"Bingo! It's not enough to just kill someone. You have to actually get away with it! Which naturally means you need a system in place to assess whether or not it's been gotten away with!" 

"So, a certain amount if time after a murder has taken place, a class trial will begin!" 

"It'll begun a few hours after the murder! Everyone will gather together, including the blackened who committed the murder, and they and the spotless students will all engage in one big debate showdown!" 

Monokuma explained his system with unnerving excitement. If you guessed the "blackened" correctly, then only they will be "punished." If everyone guessed wrong, well, you'd all be "punished," and the blackened would graduate. 

Naturally, the punishment he was referring to was death. An execution. 

So... We have to investigate. Our lives are hanging in the balance... 

"W-W-Wait! Hold on a second!" 

Between your contemplation, and everyone's questions, reactions, and denial, Junko had began to speak. 

"You're freaking insane, you know that?!" 

"Hmm?" 

"A class trial? What the hell is that?! I don't want anything to do with it!" 

"Why not?" 

"Whaddya mean why not!? Why do I have to waste my time trying to figure out who murdered someone!?" 

"What!? Are you saying you're not gonna participate in the trial!? Only punishment awaits such blasphemy!" 

"What? Punishment!?" 

Then, what happened after that was... 

They were just talking, then... 

He'd began to.. Waddle towards us. Junko. 

Junko kicked him over, stepped on his face. 

"Are you enjoying yourself now!?" 

"Are you?" 

"Huh!?" 

He recited the rule, the regulation about violence towards Monokuma... 

"I invoke the mighty summon spell! Help! To me, godly spear Gungnir!" 

Then, out of nowhere... 

Junko... 

She was impaled. So many spears had just appeared out of nowhere... 

Blood seeped into her clothes, out of her mouth. She just stood there, twitching, her expression... Horrifying. 

"Wh..?"

"H-huh?" 

"This wasn't... Supposed to..." 

"Why..Me...?" 

Her eyes grew wide, then... 

She died. Just like that... 

"Why... Me.." 

Her last words. 

She'd... Never speak again.

Everyone looked terrified, shocked... Appalled by what happened. Tears, screams, sweat... Everyone was freaking out. 

It wasn't like anything you'd ever seen before. She just... Out of nowhere...? How did this even...? 

You couldn't move. You were frozen in place, unable to speak. You just stood there, staring... 

Monokuma claimed to be teaching you a lesson. 

He gave you all a file, to help with the murder...

A Monokuma file. 

Afterwards, he assured Kyoko that he knew who the murderer was, then, just like that, he was gone, leaving you all completely shellshocked.... 

Everything happened so quickly. Your classmates... Died so quickly. Your life had changed in an instant, again and again...

"We just have to do it..."

And so the investigation had began. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took some time for everyone to get on the same page. Accept everything, begin looking in earnest. 

Everyone had decided that Mondo and Sakura would be the ones to secure the crime scene. 

Crime scene... It's like we're detectives or something. I... We really can't fuck this up. 

While everyone was talking, you walked and stood besides Byakuya. 

"Well... We don't know if Makoto's guilty yet. Byakuya and I will check Sayaka's dorm and see if we find anything there." You said, looking towards the lanky teen, trying to seem... Casual. Doing your best to investigate and nothing more. 

He just crossed his arms. 

I have to know, I will find out if he... 

The way he was acting earlier... 

Kyoko nodded at you. "Right. Let us know what you find."

With that, she suddenly left the gym, you two following soon after. Everyone had finally began to get to work. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sayaka's dorm was unlocked, and, once you were alone, you shoved Byakuya inside, slamming the door behind you before pushing him back even further. 

"WAS THAT YOU!?" 

You were furious. 

"Y/n, you took the knif-" 

"ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION!" 

"I-" 

You clenched your fist, ready to punch the bastard in the face. 

"FUCKING SAY SOMETHING! 

You'd started yelling. Been yelling, actually. 

Well, there was no denying that you and Fuyuhiko are related... 

Then. Byakuya pushed you back, grabbing your wrist before you could do anything to him. He had you pinned. Funny, how you two kept getting into positions like that... You'd never seen him so mad, emotional before. 

"I didn't kill her! There! God..."

His breath was hot on your face, his dull blue eyes glinting in the light, face contorted with sudden anger.... You were inches apart. 

Then, You twisted away from his grasp, breathing hard as you glared him down. You began to argue, both feeling pretty pissed off after the accusation. 

"Honestly, I was planning on asking you the same thing." 

"After last night... You really think i'd do that!?" 

"You think *I'd* do that? I agreed with you, remember!? You had the weapon." 

"So?" 

"Well, there was a body. Killed with a knife. A knife you took from me..." 

Then, you punched him in the face. Hard, unleashing all your pent up rage. 

He stepped back, bringing a hand to his cheek, eyes wide with surprise. It left a red mark, but it'd probably fade before the others noticed. 

"W-What the hell?! I just said I had nothing to do with it!" 

"Yeah! I didn't have anything to do with it, either! You... Could've had a spare knife!" 

"Why the hell would I keep a backup!? That's risky- Someone could find-" 

"So you were thinki-" 

Byakuya interrupted you with a sigh, suddenly growing... Cold. His emotion gone in an instant. 

"Pull yourself together. You're the one who told me to wait for the first murder. Well, here it is, and you're already falling apart." 

"I'm not- I'm not scared of you, Togami!" 

He chuckled. 

"I didn't think so, Kuzuryu." 

He took a step towards you, pulling you towards him by your shoulder, your foreheads nearly touching... 

"But you need to listen to me, now." 

"Pull. Yourself. Together. You're being irrational." 

You looked up into his eyes. For now... You could believe him. 

"I..." 

You closed your mouth, your breathing finally slowing down. He seemed satisfied. 

If he didn't kill Sayaka, then... 

You shoved him away. 

"Control your anger, Kuzuryu. Messing around, throwing a tantrum is going to do nothing but get us killed." 

"Then, you..?" 

"No. I don't think you did it, for now."

"Good. I feel the same way." 

"I don't care." 

"I don't care, either. Let's just investigate. Alone. Stay out of my way." 

With that, you turned towards the door, taking one last look towards Byakuya, who was doing the same.

"I'm treating you like an equal, Kuzuryu. We could be... We are, better than the rest of them." 

You furrowed your eyebrows, about to speak-

Don't get mad, it's just a fact. Your family... You could be a lot more than just an artist. Don't screw up."

"...I'd hate to have to kill you." 

You just huffed before exiting the dorm. 

We... We're seriously nothing alike! What's he thinking!? What the fuck was that just now? 

Sure, we were born with powerful families, but thats seriously the only thing we have in common... 

Seriously! He's such an entitled prick! 

As you walked. you thought back on the fight, how you'd hit him... 

Surprisingly, you were starting to feel a little bad. Things got really intense, and... He was sort of right. You were letting your emotions cloud your judgement. You really needed to stop fighting him like that. You didn't have to like him, you just... 

Well, right now, you needed to figure out who the hell killed Sayaka. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours passed, and Monokuma had instructed you all to go through those mysterious red doors... 

They'd taken you to an elevator, which brought you to a courtroom, of sorts. Currently, everyone was locked in a debate.

You all'd made a decent amount of progress. Agreed that Makoto probably didn't do it... 

"Well, that's great, but that's still, what, 12, 13 people that could've done it!?" 

Mondo yelled, red in the face. 

"I saw Y/n with a knife last night." 

Everything suddenly went quiet and looked at Byakuya. 

"Huh!? Why didn't you say something earlier!?" 

"Seriously, it's true. It was after nighttime, she went into her dorm with a knife." 

Technically, he wasn't lying, but... 

This bastard...! 

Everyone looked at you. 

"I..." 

You swallowed. 

You doubted anyone would believe you if you told them the truth, what'd happened with Byakuya... 

"Yes. I took a kitchen knife in my dorm. Everyone was acting so weird, I... Wanted something to protect myself." 

"I'm glad I did, if what Makoto said is true. That Sayaka had heard someone banging on her door, ended up dead..." 

You lied with a straight face, calm composure, but you couldn't tell if your heart was racing with anger or fear. 

Everyone seemed... Unconvinced. 

"Monokuma, you can check my room, can't you? Grab the knife, it's still in there. You can tell us if it was the murder weapon or not!" 

"That doesn't- He could lie!" 

"Nope! Everything I say is 100%, no, 1000% true! I'll never interfere with a trial!" 

You stared at Byakuya when Monokuma dissapeared, gritting your teeth as you tried to keep your cool... 

You... You betrayed me! You said you didn't think I did it! If anything... You probably did it! 

"Found it!" 

Monokuma held up the clean knife. 

"See?! No blood!! I can confirm that this wasn't the murder weapon!" 

You crossed your arms. 

"Told you. I was too busy being worried about getting killed to kill someone." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well... It took time, but you cleared your name. Byakuya cleared his, too...

It felt like hours had passed by before you'd finally reached a conclusion, a culprit... 

It was Leon.

Sayaka had planned to frame Makoto, switched their nameplates, switched dorms... 

She'd invited Leon to her room, where she planned on killing him, but he'd protected himself... 

Killed her instead.

Hesitantly, you'd cast your vote. You didn't want to believe it. Leon, Sayaka... You didn't know them for that long, but you'd grown to like them both... 

"I-I was protecting myself! It's not murder, it was s-self-defense! I-I'm telling y-you!" 

Leon was begging. It... Broke your heart. 

"Nope!!! Murder is murder! You got caught, boo-hoo!" 

"P-PLEASE-" 

You looked away as he was suddenly dragged away by a long chain.. 

Of course, Monokuma still forced you to watch the execution. 

He'd been pelted to death by baseballs, tied up, defenseless... It was brutal. 

You felt your nails dig into your skin as your friend was brutalized. You couldn't blink, look away... You just watched in silence. Somehow, you didn't even cry. You were... Numb.

It took him forever to die. 

You glanced at the scene one more time. Leon wasn't even recognizable by the end of it. More blood... 

You quickly looked away, then down at your arms... 

You didn't even realize at first, but you'd been gripping your arms so tightly, they'd began to bleed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually, everyone was finally permitted to leave the courtroom. It was over. The blackened had been punished. You'd all live to see another day. 

You walked with Byakuya, away from the others, out of earshot. 

"You knew I didn't kill her." 

"Hm?" 

He glanced towards you with a neutral expression, then towards your arms. 

"What you said, about the knife. You knew I didn't kill her, but you made it out like I did." 

"Ah..." 

"That's it?" 

"What do you want me to say?" 

You furrowed your eyebrows. 

"I could've told them what really happened, or worse, they could've voted one of us out instead of Leon. So why'd you do it?!" 

"I wouldn't have let that happen." 

"If they thought it was you, I doubt there's much you could've done about it." 

He just... Breathed. 

"Leon was punished. Why are we talking about this?" 

"You're ignoring the question." 

He sighed. 

"I was testing you. Testing everyone else. That's all." 

"Testing...?" 

"You told me to see what everyone was capable of, no? That's what I did. Clearly, you were right." 

You hummed. You believed him, but... That's it? It was a decent plan, but... Fuck. 

"So you're agreeing with me, then? Glad you didn't do anything last night?" 

"Don't be smug." 

He glanced at your arms one more time. You didn't seem phased at the execution, but clearly.... 

Finally, you approached your dorm, entering, slamming your door shut as he'd opened his mouth, about to say something... 

Well, he'd had already made it clear you weren't friends. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It felt like all your exhaustion, emotions, finally caught up with you. 

Junko, Sayaka, Leon.

Three people, all in less of a day. 

You didn't know Junko that well, but... 

She was strong. You thought she had a good heart... 

Sayaka had been so nice to you, Leon... Sure, he didn't *have* to kill her, but he really was defending himself...

He made you laugh. You guys were friends... 

You crawled underneath your blankets. It felt like it'd been ages since the day had began. So much had happened... 

You bit back your tears. 

I've got to keep going... He... 

No matter what... 

For Sayaka, Leon, Junko... 

Fuyhiko, Jabami, my family... 

I've got to stay strong! 

I can... I will, get out, for their sake! 

No matter what.


	7. Quick Update !!!

I haven’t forgotten about this story!!!   
i’ve been really unmotivated and stressed out from school things, but i wanna try to keep updating this soon!!!   
im sososo sorry its been so long since ive released a chapter :(


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